A full and distinct account of the mineral waters of Pyrmont, and Spa ...

A Firu and piaxfNCT

AGCOUN

Q E T H E

Mineral Waters

O F

PYRMONT, and SPA.

CONTAINING,

I. The natural Hiftory of the adjacent Countries,
and of the feveral medicinal Springs therein.

II. A New Chymical Examination of the Waters*
whereby their real Contents and Ingredients are
clearly difcovered.

III. Of their various Virtues and Effe&s upon Hu-
man Bodies, and the Difeafes that have hitherto
been cured thereby.

IV. The moft approved Method of ufing them ; as
to the Seafon, and the Quantity, according to
the Difference of Age, Sex and Conftitution.

V. Of Bathing with them.

VI. Of the Abufes and Miftakes in ufing the Wa¬
ters, whereby they may prove dangerous and
hurtful.

Collected from the befl Authors*

And improved

By Dr. TURNER.

The Second Edition. _

LONDON:

Printed for, and Sold by A. Millar, at Buchanan's- Head \
ovcr-againil St. Clement1 s- Church in the Strand. 1734*
(Price Two Shillings. X

- b* a

TO THE

R E

HE mineral waters of Pyrmont and
Spa having for many years been
greatly efteemed in moft countries of
Europe for their wonderful and
furprifing efficacy in perfectly curing
various dijeafes incident to mankind ,
when all other remedies have p rov'd
ineffectual^ and alleviating others , which are in their
nature incurable ; and being at prejent in great ufe
and reputation in this kingdom, 1 am perfuaded that
a more full and diftinft account of their particular
Qualities) and of the right method of ufing them , than
■ has hitherto appeared in Englifh, will be very accept - .
able to the publick \ this I was the more inclinable to
undertake , having experienced the fingular efficacy and
vertue of the Chalibeat waters in a cafe of my own 7
from which) by their means 9 I was happily recover'd')

1 therefore think myfelf particularly obliged to promote ,
to the utmoft of my power) the knowledge of them) and
likewife the method which able phyficians have by long
experience and obfervation found to be me ft faf ey pro *
per ' and neceffary in ufing them ; and tho ’ it is not to
he fuppofed that any unreafionable Man wdl have fo
little regard to his health , as rafihly to enter upon a

A 2 courfe

J

To the READER.

tourfe of Chalibeat waters without the advice and
direction of a skilful phyfician , yet as moft patients are
liable to forget the rules and directions that are given
them by word of mouth , and as they have not always
a phyfician by them , it feems very neceffary to put into
their hands fuch an approved method as is to be JiriCtly
objerved , that they may know how to govern themfelves
from the beginning to the end of the courfe , provided
nothing extraordinary or unufual happens during the
fame ; and I believe every one will think this the more
expedient , that ferioufly conjiders that an irregular me¬
thod of ufing the waters will not only fruftrate all the
hopes and expectations of the patient , and render his
trouble and expence ineffectual , but what is worfe,
may heighten the diftemper he already labours under y
or bring on others equally or more infupportabley and
as I had ocular demonfir ationy upon the Jpoty of the
wonderful effects of thofe waters , / thought it neceffary
to fpend fome time both at Pyrmont and Spa, that
by a careful examination of the ingredients of the wa¬
ter sy and of the grounds and foundation upon which
the phyficians of thofe places build their practice , 1
might acquire a tolerable knowledge of what 1 intended
to recommend to the world. But on the other hand it
mu ft be own'd , that in treating of a fubjeCt of this
nature with any perfpicuity , it is not enough for a per-
fon to have fuff Cent abilities to make a philofophical
enquiry into the fevered ingredients of the waters , but
he mu ft likewife have had opportunities by long experi¬
ence and fuccefsful practice to obferve and thoroughly
underfund their particular virtues , effects^ and man¬
ner of operating , but as this is not the work of a few
days , and a fhort ft ay at thofe places , but of long ob-
(ervation and repeated trials ; 1 therefore thought it
would be moft acceptable to all perfons of reafon and
judgment , if I made choice of fome of the moft cele¬
brated and approved authors y who by their capacities

and

/

To the READER.

and experience lid fairefl to underftand this fubjeff,
and to extra ft from their writings what would be mofi
ufeful to the Englifh reader , either unacquainted with
their language , or not having opportunities to perufe
them ; and tho 3 the waters of Pyrrnont are efteemed
among the left , if not the rich eft of any cold Chali-
beat waters in Europe, and the cures performed by
them are as great and remarkable as of any wa¬
ters whatfoever, yet they are not fo generally known
amongft us as is to be wijti d , there being no perfect ac¬
count of them publifhed in our Language , wherefore
I had them chiefly in my view , and have made choice
of that full and learned defcription of them given by
the ingenious Dr. SElffivs^firfl phyfician and conn -
fellor to the prince of Waldeck, a gentleman of great
learning, long experience, and fine tafte, who has
conflantly refided and praflifed at thefe wells above
twenty years , and with great induflry and pains has
acquired fo thorough a knowledge of this fubjecl , that
he feems to have left little to the further enquiry of
others , and is fo courteous and obliging to ft rangers,
that he readily communicates his knowledge to fuch as
are capable of profiting thereby . As the learned au¬
thor differs in many circumftances from others who
have wrote on the fame fubjeft, 1 believe the curious
will not think their labour loft in obferving what he
has faid. I have extracted from his Book what l
thought neceffary both with refpeci to the natural hi/to -
ry of the valley of Pyrmont, 'where the wells are ,
and alfo the chymical analyjis of the waters themf elves ,
in which he is very curious and full , and his method
and rules to be obferved both in drinking and bathing
are fo very reafonable , that I have omitted nothing
material that may be ufeful to the patient. In his
book , which is writ in the German language, . things
are handled at a great length , and there are fever al
learned and curious digreffions , which 1 have omitted ,

propofmg

To the READER. •

proposing to myfelf to reprefent to the reader > as hiefly
as I could, only fuel things as Jeemed moft for his
purpofe , and I hope I have done the learned author
juft ice in reprejenting his thoughts aright , without in¬
termixing thofte of any other author ; fo that he alone
is to he underfttood to he the perfon that fpeaks from
the beginning to the end on this fubjeff*

In the account of the waters of Spa 1 have made
ufe of Neffel, Stephius, Chrouet, Coquelet, Bref-
mal, d’Heers, Gerinx, &c. and as their Rules and
directions in ufing theft waters are much the fame as
thofe of Dr. Seippius, I thought it needlefs to men¬
tion them , hut refer the reader to the method to he oh -
ferved in the ufe of thofe of Pyrmont, and fo avoid
a great many unnecejfary repetitions , which would
f well this treaiife to an wire aft onable hulk.

The good effect of the waters depending not only up¬
on their being genuine , hut in good condition , fitch as
are adulterated and ill-managed being very pernicious
to the patient , 1 took a particular care l aft fummer
when I 'was at Pyrmont and Spa to fettle a cone *
fpondence with proper agents , whofe fidelity I can fafe-
ly rely on, that a fufficient quantity of the waters of
both places he from time to time and at proper feafons
bottled, fealed, pack'd up, and fent over, in fitch a
manner, as they may lofe as little of their virtue by the
carriage as poffihle', I can therefore aftjure all perfons
' that ft all have oc capon, that they may he furnifhed
therewith to their intire fatis faction, at the Mineral
Water Warehoufe in St. Albans Street, near Pall-
Mall ; where is like wife to he had the choiceft of all
other mineral waters now

m uje.

The Contents of the Treatife on the Mineral
Waters of PYRMONT

CHAP* L

A phyfical defcription of the valley of Pyrmont, and
of the Chalibeat and other fprings that are to be
feen therein , Page I

CHAR II.

A chymical examination and enquiry into the nature
of the Pyrmont waters , whereby their real con¬
tents and ingredients are clearly dif covered, j 3

1

CHAP. Ill,

Of the chief virtues and effects of the Pyrmont Wa¬
ters upon human bodies , and of the difeafes that
have hitherto been cured thereby . 40

CHAP, IV,

Of the way and manner of drinking the Pyrmont
W aters fo as to profit thereby 3 both with refpedt to.

the

The CONTENTS,

the feafon, preparation, quantity, order, cold
or heat, continuation, diet, medicines according
to the difference of age, fex and conftitution, and
how to prevent accidents and obftacles during the
cure ; and lafily , concerning the effects of the wa¬
ters , after the patient has left off drinking . 5 1

CHAR V.

Concerning bathing with the Pyrmont waters . 77

CHAP. VI

Concerning the ahufes and mftdkes that patients fall
into while they ufe the waters , whereby they may
become dangerous and hurtful . 87

The Contents of the Treatife on the Mineral

Waters of S Pi\.

C H A P. L

1

A defcnptim of the town of Spa. 99

CHAP. 11

'The analysis of the fever al fountains ^ by Mr. Chrouef,
M. D. 108

CHAP. HI.

A brief account of the qualities and virtues of the
waters of Spa. - 129

Chap. I.

A Phyfcal Defcription of the Valley of Pyr-
mont, of the Chalibeat, and other Springs ,
that are to be feen therein ,

HE county of Pyrmontj belong¬
ing to the illuftrious Prince of
Waldeck , famous for its medici¬
nal waters, which have been
well known in moft Parts of
Europe above 200 years, lies, in
the opinion of the beft geogra¬
phers, in the ysd degree of latitude, and 29th
of longitude ; tho’ in moft new maps it is placed
in the 53d degree of latitude, and 3®th of longi¬
tude ; towards the north and eaft it borders up¬
on the elefiior of Hanover's dominions ; towards
the fouth and weft, partly on the ele&or of Han¬
over and duke of W olffenbuttle's territories, and
partly on the county of Lippe and biihoprick of
Paderborn.

The lower part of the county, particularly the
valley where the caftie of Pyrmont ftands, and the
Chalibeat waters are, is a moft agreeable country^,
yields a very fine profpeft, and is much admired
by all ftrangers ; and whereas moft mineral wa¬
ters come from under high hills, deriving their
medicinal qualities from the minerals contained

B in

in their bowels, the wells, generally fpeaking,
are fo fhut up by the mountains, that there is
either no profpeft at all, or it is very inconfi-
derable ; on the contrary, in this valley of Pyr¬
mont there is a plain of three Englifh miles both
in length and breadth, thro5 which runs the ri¬
ver Emmer , upon whofe banks are the moft beau¬
tiful meadows and paftures that can be feen any
where, and from thence to the Mountains are
excellent corn-fields, and this beautiful and fruit¬
ful valley is furrounded with a circle of high
green hills.

The wells lie between the caftle of Pyrmont
and the town of Oeftorff, , and have for many ages
been very much admir'd for their particular tafte
and wonderful properties, as might be eafy to
ihew from many authentick hiftories ; they were
anciently called the Holy Wells , ( Heiligen Brunnen)
and the ground where they fpring up was called
the Holy Meadows , and at prefent they are fre¬
quently fo called by the inhabitants, probably,
becaufe they were look'd upon as a facred wonder
of nature upon the account of the unufual man¬
ner of their rifing and bubbling out of the ground,
and of their particular tafte and healing quali¬
ties, which many ancient authors have taken par¬
ticular notice of.

The better to underhand the nature of thefe
mineral waters, it is necellary to inquire a little
into the nature and qualities of the country and
ground from whence they fpring, and as we have
already told you that the valley of Pyrmont is fur-
rounded with hills, we fhall firft confider thofe
towards the north, for, from under thefe the wa¬
ters come, and without doubt bring along with
them fome parts of the mineral contents.

The

Ill

The tippermoft part of thefe hills is a very
good fruitful foil, very proper for all kind of
com and garden herbs. The next ftratum is
yellow or whitifh clay , marie , fand^ &c. fome-
times one, fometimes th’other, and under thefe
is found, in divers places in great abundance,
a brown reddifh j\ tone , fometimes in great lumps,
and fometimes in fmall pieces ; and about 800
paces from the wells towards the eaft is a /tone
quarry , out of which they dig yearly a great
quantity of ftones for building : Thefe ftones are
eafily fplinted as they lie horizontally, and in ma¬
ny of the fplinters are to be feen many fmall par¬
ticles like filings of filver, and in the fmall va-
cuities between the fplinters is found a glutinous
reddifh earth , very like the tferra Lemnia.

The quarry men dig always into the mountain
horizontally, for if they fhould dig downward
they would foon meet with a fulphureous fuffoca -
ting exhalation , as they did a few years ago, when
at my defire they went deeper, and altho’ the
Hole was very fmall, and not very deep, yet they
felt it for feveral days after, by which we fee
that without any great trouble, there might be a
Grotto del Cane made, like to that between Na¬
ples and Fuzzolo ; for not many years ago, during
the greateft heat of the fummer, efpecially in
the month of Auguft , the exhalation was fo very
ftrong, that when the fun fhone dire&ly into the
forefaid hole, the motion and rifing of the va¬
pour was very vifible, and every day were found
near to it dead fowls of different forts, which
having come to feed upon the infers that were
killed by the exhalation, were themfelves catch’d
in the fame manner.

At the fame time the experiment was made
with a dog, which being tied with a rope, and

B 2 thrown

4

C4l

thrown upon the hole, he prefently began to
breathe very hard, to leap, open his mouth and
pant after frefh air, he would have inftantly fal¬
len down dead, if he had not by leaping gone out
of the horizontal line, where the vapour was
more rarify’d, and fo catch’d fome frefh air.
This vapour, juft like that of the Groito del Cane
near Pitzzolo, feldom rifes higher than one foot
and a half, or two foot above the ground, fo
that one may fafely enough ftand in it, providing
he don’t ftoop too low.

Towards the north, about 500 Paces from the
wells, lies a great, high and long hill called
Bomb erg, in whofe bowels, or perhaps in the
bowels of the contiguous hills, fo far as we can
conje&ure, is gather’d together the water that
fupplies our wells, which afterwards finks and
penetrates thro’ the hills till fuch time as it can
find a convenient out-gate ; but what kind of
minerals are contained in thefe hills has not hi¬
therto been fully inquired into ; but not far from
the fteel well (commonly called Stahl Brunnen )
on the fame fide is a rifing gound full of very
porous ftones like to the y ophus, which being
broken, appear like iron ruft or drofs, fome red,
and fome brown, and black, which being thrown
into a furnace, and afterwards feparating the
lighter particles or drofs from the more weighty,
we found by a loadftone, that a great many par¬
ticles of iron were contained in the fame ; fo that
we may conclude, that if the uppermoft ftones
give iuch indications of iron, if we fhould dig
deeper, we might find great plenty both of irony
and fulphureous ftones .

Not far from this ftony rifing ground, and
about a mufket lhot from the Stahl Brunnen (fteel
wells) are the Stein fffuelkn (ftony fprings) whofe

waters,

[ 5 ]

waters, fpreading themfelves over the contiguous
ground, wherever they come, they cover every
thing with a ftony cruft, which is not eafily fepa-
rated from any thing it cleaves to. If you take
a handful of the black mud from the bottom
of thefe Springs, it fmells like the hefar fulphuris ,
or like a gun newly difcharged ; and the ftones,
after they are burnt and thrown into water,
fmell after the fame manner. From hence we
may conclude, that very probably the water de¬
rives from the fub terraneous fulphur, a property
and virtue to diffolve and incorporate into it felf
the ftony fubftance, which, when it comes into
the open air, it throws off and lets fall again.

As to the wells and water which are found
round the Steel Wells , and which defcend from
fome hills and rifing grounds which lie north and
eaft, it is to be obferved, that all of them have
fomething of the acid, mineral, fulphureous fpi-
rit, which is not common to water that comes
from other places, and which is very difcernable
to the tafte of thofe that are not ufed to fuch wa¬
ters.

About two hundred paces from the Stone Quarry ,
there is a very firong fpring of acid water, very
pleafant to the tafte, which has indeed a great
deal of the acid mineral fpirit, but brings along
with itfelf nothing of iron, or any other mineral
fubftance , except a little bitterifh fait , and a little
fubtilized earth \ we call it by the name of Berg
Sauerling , becaufe it fprings up on a hill, where
the ground is very ftony, and it’s fource is much
higher than that of any other of our acid fprings.
It mixes exceeding well with wine, pearles pret¬
tily, and has a moft; agreeable tafte, and would
be very proper for them that like to drink water

B 3 " with

L 6 3

with their wine at meals, but find the Stahl Brun
nen water too ftrong for them.

The waters that are to the north weft are com¬
monly heavier and more acid than thofe towards
the eaft, perhaps becaufe they run deeper under
ground, and fo have paffed through more of the
mineral. There are many other fmall fprings here
and there, which have an acid tafte , contain a yel-
lowi/h irony earth , and have fomething of the con¬
tents of the Steel Waters , but in much fmaller
quantity.

The waters that come from the north weft are
heavier and more acid than thofe from the eaft :
And on the other fide in the meadows, there are
a great many fmall fprings of the fame quality, but
are not fo ftrong of the mineral, neither do they
throw up fo much water.

All thefe different fprings are fo many indica¬
tions and proofs, that all round under ground,
is full of irony and fulphureous ftones.

There is one thing to be obferved with refpect
to the waters that rife near the head-wells ; a
few paces behind the well-houfe, feveral fmall
fprings run together into a canal, by which they
are carried into the common bathing-place. In
the year 1716, I found in this ditch, all at once,
here and there, three pound weight of the cleaneft
and rnoft beautiful lapis felenites that ever was
feen, fome pieces of it weighing twelve ounces,
which had been formed in this water. Thefe
fprings are not very acid , neither do they give any
yellowiih tindiure to the ground ; and when it is
evaporated, there remains behind a very fmall fa-
line earthy fediment. This natural generation of
the lapis felenites fhews us, that there is a chrift al¬
lin e matter or fnbftance , which by art may be fe-
parated from our waters.

We

C 7 1 >

We come now to the ft eel wells ( Stahl B rumen )
themfelves, which in comparifon of the high
grounds which lie to the north, may be faid to
fpring out of a low ground, but with refpedt to the
plains that lie towards the fouth, and upon the
river Emmer, they may be faid to lie high enough,
for from the wells to the lower end ot the avenue,
it is above five hundred paces, and all along a
very confiderable defcent, for which reafon, wa¬
ters of a different nature cannot fink towards thefe
wells.

The head well, which formerly was called the
Holy Well , is inclofed and covered with a large
eighth cornered houfe, by which it is preferved
from all dirt, and from the mixture of rain or
other water.

The place where the fpring rifes is about four
foot and a half diameter, and the water ftands
about three foot and a half above the fpring (or
is three foot and a half deep), becaufe the con¬
duit or canal that carries it away cannot be made
lower ; and the weight of the great quantity of
water that ftands upon the fpring, is the reafon
why this well does not fpring or fpout up with fo
great force, nor fo high as the B rod el Burn , only
the fprings throw up fmall bubbles like water that
begins to boil ; but the fpring is very ftrong, and
pours forth a great quantity of water, fo that
there is never any want, how much foever you
pleafe to carry away, and I have in one minute
taken up from the ftream that runs from the well,
four large buckets full, containing thirty pound
weight of water each, which amounts to a vaft
quantity in twenty-four hours.

About forty-two foot from this well fprings up
the great Brodel Brunn , which has hitherto been
made ufe of only for bathing, it being neither fo

B 4 fprituous ?

C 8 ]

fpirituous , fine , nor rfctfr as the well ufed for drink¬
ing. This is found by experience not to be fo good
for drinking as the other, and does not pafs fo
eafily.

This great bathing-well is fourteen foot in cir¬
cumference, the water ftands two foot above the
fpring, (or is two foot deep ;) and in this place
there are between thirty and forty great or lmali
boiling fprings, that rife out of the ground with
great force, and make a greater noife than a brewer’s
copper when boiling, fo that in calm weather it
is eafily heard at the diftance of fifty paces. About
a hundred and twelve foot weft of the well ufed
for drinking, there is another well furrounded with
oaken pales, about twenty two Foot in length,
and fixteen broad, the water is about four foot
deep, there are feveral fprings both great and fmali
in it. This well is weaker than any of the other,
and has very little of the acid mineral fpirit in it,
and is commonly ufed by poor people for a cold
bath.

Thefe waters bring along with them in great
quantity a reddifh yellow earth, which may be ga¬
thered in great abundance, both in the wells, and
in all the conduits and ditches through which they
run, for fix hundred paces from the fprings, and
the avenue and all the ground on both fides is full
of it, which in fome places lies two foot deep,
clean and without any mixture : This yellowifh
earth , being either taken from the fprings or the
water conduits, or the ground about the avenue,
when fmelted, will anfwer the loadftone, and
when it is feparated from the ale aline earth , and
chriftalline cremor (as we fhall afterwards lhow,)
has all the properties that perfeft iron or fteel has.
Although this ferruginous earth, as we may call
it, is found in great plenty wherever the water

runs.

I 9 1

runs, yet there is not to be found the leaft piece of
tophus -fane ; and this is fo much the more remark¬
able, becaufe the ftony fprings ( Stein fuelled) are
fo near 3 fo that it is evident they have no com¬
munication under ground with the fteel wells.

This ferruginous earth is not only found in
great plenty about the wells, but alfo fticks to all
veffels wherein the water is kept either hot or
cold, and dyes them yellow : notwithstanding of
this, the iron conftitutes the fmalleft part of the
folid fubftance , or hard matter , which is incorpora*
ted with the water.

So far as I have been able hitherto to find out
by repeated experiments, a pound of water con¬
tains only two grains, or two grains and a half of
iron, after it has been cleanfed Irom the chriftal-
line and ale aline cremor , and fmelted into a pure
and clean fteel ; but the whole fediment , or all that
hard and dry matter which remains, after eva¬
porating the freih water, weighs twenty two
grains, fo that the fteel makes at moft but one ele¬
venth part of the ingredients. As we are now
fpeaking of the materia which the mineral waters
bring along with them, it muft be remembred,
that our waters never fuffer any alteration either
from dry or wet weather ; and whereas it is a
common complaint, that in many mineral fprings,
in rainy weather, they become much weaker, and
when they are evaporated don’t leave behind half
the matter as in dry weather ; on the contrary,
our waters in all feafons of the year, and in all
kind of weather, wet or dry, yield always the
fame quantity of matter or fediment.

We may make this further obfervation upon
what prefents it felf to our outward fenfes when
we drink the waters at the wells, viz, as foon as
you take up a glafs full of it, you perceive an

infinite

I 10]

infinite number of fmali pearles or bubbles riling
in the glafs, and which are in greater number
when the glafs is thruft with violence into the
well, and the air is thereby forced into the glafs
under the water, for then they rife with a noife,
and like a vapour above the edge of the glafs, fo
that if you hold the glafs over againft you, your
face will be fprinkled with the particles of the
water.

It is commonly believed by water-drinkers, that
thefe riling pearles and bubbles are the fpirituous
or fubtileft parts of the water, and contain all
the Virtue of it, fo that they fwallow it down
with great hafte, that they may not lofe the virtue
of it ; but if you take up the water out of the
well foftly, and not thruft the glafs into it with
violence, then there is little motion to be feen in
the water, and yet there is the fame quantity of Spi¬
rits in it ; fo that it is the air that occafions this
commotion in the water, and all thefe pearles and
bubbles are fo many particles of air, which being
fhut up in the glafs extricate themfelves out of
the water, and fo occafion that commotion, but
the fpirituoufnefs of this water is the reafon why
the air mixes more eafily and plentifully with it
than with other water.

The water is clear as chryftal, only you may
obferve fome fmali appearance of a milk colour
in it, which diftinguifhes it from common wa¬
ter y when the water is firft taken up, this appears
but very little, but fhows it felf more and more :
every hour, when it is put into an open glafs and !
expofed to the open air, and fo much the fafter ;
the warmer the place is. This milk colour after¬
wards changes into reddifh , troubled , or muddy
clouds, wherewith the fteel Separates it felf, and
fhows it felf above like a finning glittering [kin.

The !

The tafte of the frefh water is acid like wine,
pungent, flharp, refrefhing and pleafant, but at
laft taftes fomewhat of vitriol, fo that many wiih
they could exchange the laft tafte with the firft ;
neverthelefs moft drinkers of thefe waters drink
them with very good liking, and frequently drink
more of them than they are ordered, or is ne-
ceffary for their cure.

By the fmell one may difcover in our wells
a fubtile fulphureous vapour, which fometimes
makes the water-fervers giddy and light-headed,
and this is moft obfervable when the greateft
quantity of water is drawn off. This fulphureous
vapour is the caufe why fifh and frogs, ducks
and goflings, when thrown into thefe wells, grow
giddy and lofe their ftrength, and at laft fall down
and fink, though this does not prefently happen,
but ducks, for example, fwim fometimes an hour
before they are any wayaffe6ted; and if thefe ani¬
mals, as foon as they begin to fink, are taken out,
they neither fuffer in their health nor life, and
foon appear as brisk as ever.

This fulphureous vapour is not always alike
ftrong, but is ftrongeft in the hotteft feafon, fo
that when the heat is exceeding great, young ducks
will fall down dead in a moment, though old
ones will hold it out longer. But this vapour
has not the property of a poifon , which when it
gets into the body abides therein, and corrodes the
fame, but it has only a particular elaftick , dilating
power or quality , by which often in a moment, as
foon as a fufficient quantity of it falls into the
lungs, it drives and keeps out of them all air
whatsoever, and fo puts to a ftand all the organs
of refpiration, and at once makes all motion in the
breaft to ceafe ; but as foon as the vapour fhut
up in the breaft finds a free egrefs, and the frelh

C 12 1

air enters, the animal comes to it felf again, and
fuffers no hurt ; fo that creatures die for want of
frefh air, not through the influence of any arfe -
meal matter conveyed into the body by the vapour :
and as I told you before, this vapour does not rife
much higher than a foot above ground, fo that
old geefe can by reafon of the length of their
necks, continue much longer in the water.

This acid fulphureous [pint is the reafon why the
waters never freeze, no not in the coldeft winters,
as in the years 1709 and 1716.

To conclude this phyfical defeription of thefe
mineral wells, I lhall fay one word relating to
the daily ufe of them.

Many inhabitants of the county of Pyrmont , and
of other places that lie next to it, particularly the
inhabitants of Oeftorff make ufe of this water the
whole year, fummer and winter, whenever they
are thirfty and at their meals, as their ordinary
drink, and at dinner-time they come with their
flaggons and bottles as if it were an alehoufe :
every body makes ufe of this water, young and
old, and many fick and confined to their beds,
women in child-bed, and fucking children, they
are not afraid of its pungency or lharpnefs, or
that it fhould aifeft their lungs, or do them any
hurt ; but from long experience they know, that
commonly it is good for every body, keeps the
ftomach in good order, and lharpens the appetite :
and in this county the people are ftrong and
healthy, and arrive at a great age ; for in the lower
part of the county, during the laft thirty years,
it is computed, that about iyoo men have died,
among whom were 128 that were fixty years old ;
.109 feventy years; 57 eighty ; 37 ninety; and
6 one hundred years old and above ; which alto¬
gether amount to 339 old people, which is almoft
r a fourth

£ 13 1

a fourth part of the whole number, and In fom©
places the old men bear a greater proportion.

%

CHAP. II.

A chymical examination and inquiry into the nature of
the Pyrmont waters , whereby their real contents
and ingredients are clehrly dif covered.

FROM what has been faid in the preceding
chapter, all circumftances duly confidered,
it will be eafy to find how far one may venture
in paffmg a judgment, with refpedt to the contents
of thefe waters, and without flopping to examine
and confute what feveral learned phyflcians have
advanced, I fhall proceed to fhow what I have
found out by frequent examination and daily expe¬
rience ; and fo far as I can demonftrate my thefts ^
it will at the fame time appear how far fome have
been miftaken, and how many things others have
with the greatefi affurance afferted, without having
made the leaft examination and inquiry into the
nature of the water. We fhall therefore firft
Ihow, that the fpirit which preferves the whole
mixture, and all the chief properties of the wa¬
ter, is a fubtile , acid , fulphureous fpirit .

'idly , That this fpirit is herein intireiy different
from the common fpirit of fulphur ; that it brings
along with itfelf a fubtilized mineral-fat ( Pinguedo )
wherewith it was mixed under ground.

3 dly, That this fpirit , contrary to the opinion of *
all authors, does not diffipate and is not volatile ,
but on the contrary, the longer it is in the water,
the more fixed it is. Particularly, 4 thly. This
fpirit does by little and little unite itfelf with the

aUaline

C h 3

dcaline fall , or with the fubtile fweet alcalde earth ,
which is found in all mineral waters, and fo
makes of it a fal enixum or neutrum , like a tartarus
vitriolatus , fal polychrejium , or very like fal mirabile
glauberi.

ythly , That through this uniting of the
fpirit with the alcali, it muft let fall all the diffolved
Iron that it had affirmed, and fo the water muft
lofe all ‘vitriol qualities .

6th!y, That the fubtile fweet ale aline earth in the
water does far exceed the acid fpirit in quantity,
fo that consequently this fteel water muft operate
more as an alcali than an acid.

ythly , That over and above all thefe foremen-
tioned ingredients , there is in the water a clean y
tranf parent , chry ft allin e , taftelefs Jubftance , like the
lapis f elenites , or mountain chryftal diffolved.

In order to demonftrate thefe propofitions clear¬
ly, we will firft briefly enumerate the changes and
feparations which thefe ingredients in the water
undergo in open air and in dif filiation , without any
mixture of any other thing. And laftly, give an
account of what remains, after the water is intire-
ly evaporated.

The firft change we obferve in the water when
expofed to the open air, and handing in a ditch or
marfh, is the party- colour'd fhiningfkin, with bright
rainbow colours, which fwims and covers the

furface.

This fkin of divers colours fhows itfelf after the
water has flood fome hours in the fun, or has
been warmed over a fire, and the more gently it
is warmed, the more do thefe colours fhow them-
felves.

The next ingredient which feparates from the
water, is the yellow ferruginous earth , which fhows
itfelf very remarkably, not only in the open and

warm

I '5 ]

warm air, but in all glaffes, earthen, and other
veffels whatfoever, into which the water is put,
though ever fo well corked and ftopt.

The more the water is warmed, either by the
fun beams, or over a fire, or when a bottle full of
it is put into a veffel full of hot boiling water, the
greater motion appears in it, fo that innumera¬
ble air-bubbles rife with great noife in the bottle,
and break through the fuperficies of the water,
and every little globule of air feems to carry
along with it a fmall particle to add to the blewifh
fkin, which by little and little increafes and grows
thicker ; and this motion lafts a confiderable while,
about two hours in a moderate heat, fo that it is
fcalding hot before its firft mixture is thoroughly
broken, and for a good while the water taftes ftrong
of iron.

Laftly, When all the motion of the air-bubbles
is over, the whole water appears yellowifh and
troubled, and the fkin thick upon it, it becomes
infipid and taftelefs, fo that one cannot find any
more in it, the leaft appearance of its former proper¬
ties. If you let the ferruginous earth fettle well for
fome days, and then ftrain the water through pa¬
per, it will then be clear as cryftal, and in a clofe
glafs will continue clear.

Let our water be poured into a glafs receiver,
or fillip put a helm upon it, and begin to diftil it
into a clofe glafs bottle, the fame alterations ap¬
pear in the receiver as in the open air and heat :
but the beautiful Colours, which fome pretend
to have difcoveredin the helm during the diftilla-
tion, arc nothing more than what is ufual in
diftilling common water, when through the re¬
fraction of the light, different colours, like the

in the receiver, and in the
the helm.

rain-bow, are formed
drops which fall from

The

E *6 ]

The diftilled water, neither the firft nor the
laft has no acid or fulphureous tafte or fmell, nor
has’ it ever any fmell, if it be kept clean from
dirt; but it taftes a little, as if fomething had been
burnt in the receiver, if it be diftilled with the
gentleft heat, and ex balneo mat i(C . but this burnt
tafte is foon gone, if the glafs bottle wherein the
water was preferved is not ftiut very clofe : If
you decant it twice, there remains a very fmall
portion of white earth , which mixed with acid
things caufes no effervefcenc.e. If you take a
great quantity of frefh water, and put it into a
receiver with a fmall hole above, and heat it as
faft as poffible, and then hold your nofe over it,
it has no other fmell than the fteam of common
hot water. If with ’a gentle heat you evaporate
one half of the water, and then fet it in a cool
place for twenty four hours, lyou will obferve
a great many fmall and fomeyvhat long tranfpa-
rent cryftals formed in it, which have no tafte,
and will not caufe any effervefcence, when mixed

with acid things. .

If you entirely evaporate the water, till it is

quite dried up, there will remain a brown, yellow-
ijh, red matter , intermixed with fome white ;
from a pound of water out of the Trinck Brunn ,
you have twenty two grain weight ; from the
greateft Brodel Brunn , twenty four grain 5 from
the lower bathing-well, fifteen grain j and from the
Berg Sauerling, five or fix grain. If upon this fe-
diment , or remaining dry matter , you pour a little
diftilled clean water, warm it a little, and then
ftrain it through a paper, afterwards let it eva¬
porate, till quite dried up, you will find a fmall
white bitter fait ; from the 'Trinck Brunn , feven
grain out of a pound of water ; from the Brodel
\ Brum ?, feven or eight grain ; from the lower

batlring-

[ «7 3

bathing-well, five or fix grains ; from the well call’d
Berg Sauerling , two grains. The remainder of the
fediment which could not be diffolved in the wa*
ter, is the alcaline Jweet earthy the reddifh ferrugi¬
nous earthy and the chriftaliine fuhftance .

When the well known Hydrometrum Kircheriy or
Glafs-water- Ballancey is put into the frefh water,
it finks to the lowermoft degree, but as foon as
the water begins to be troubled, and to lofe its
acid tafte, the jtaticum vitreum finks to the fecond
degree, and in the common fweet water of the
country, it goes down to the third degree.

As it is well known that other fuhtile jpiritu-
ms fieel waters , when weighed preiently at the
fpring, are, notwithftanding their mineral contents,
lighter than common water, even than rain, or
diftilPd water ; wherefore I took a glafs vial with
a long narrow neck, and put five pound of our
common fweet water into it, and marked with a
diamond how high the water reached in the neck
of the vial, and after pouring it out, I weighed
five pound out of our mineral cTrmck Brunviy and
pouring it into the vial, it came fo near to that
of the common water, that it wanted only two
thirds of a dram to make it come Up to it : but after¬
wards having fometimes repeated this experiment,
I found it did not always hold, and that according
as the air is lighter or heavier, the water affumes
more or lefs of it } but I defign to examine this
matter more narrowly at another opportunity.

Thefe are the chief circumftances and alterati¬
ons of the water, alfo the reparations of its in¬
gredients, which are brought about partly by
itfelf, and partly by evaporating it by the heat of
the fun, or by diftillation ; we fhall enquire into
the true caufes of thefe feveral phenomena, and
further explain them by feveral natural experi-

G ments.

E *8 1

merits, and fo apply them where it is proper to
our pofitions.

The fir ft thing we have undertaken to prove
is, that the fpirit in the mineral water, which
preferves and contains all its chief properties, is
a fuhtile , acid, fulphur eous fpirit.

This pofition will meet with leaf! oppolition,
feeing moft phyficians are of opinion, that the fpi -
rituoiifnefs in all mineral waters, particularly in
thofe that are acid, proceeds from the fulphur of
irony ftones.

But feeing feveral of the moderns upon obler-
ving, that the alcah predominates in mineral wa~
ters, and not being able to find whence the acid
fhould proceed, feeing no vitriol can be prepared
out of fuch waters, do think that there is no acid
in them, but that the fpirit is rather of an alcaline
nature , a gas fulphur eum ex marte , without acid,
like the vapour which rifes when one pour sfpirtr
turn fulpburis per campanam, ox oil of vitriol , upon
filings of iron. We will therefore mention fome
experiments, which will at leaft fhew, that in
our fteel waters, there is an acid of fulphur,
though the alcaline matter has the advantage, as
in other wells : and firft, it is allowed by both
learned and unlearned, *that the tafte of the fteel
water is acid , and every body that knows what acid
is, will reckon it among acid things : but it is not
a corrofive, but a fixed acid, which leaves upon
the tongue a pleafant, rough, fharp tafte, like that
of wine, beer, or other liquors, which have beep
rightly and duly fermented ; and it is from this
that fuch waters are called acidulce , though fome
have pretended to have found a fharp alcaline
tafte in the waters ; but it is very evident, thofe
gentlemen have conformed their fenfes to their
pre-conceived opinion*

r ' - More-

[ 19 1

Moreover, %dly, The tafte and the gentle me'
tallick fmell of the waters is fo manifeftly like
that of vitriol , that even children themfelves com*
pare it to that of ink : now feeing there is no vi¬
triol, nor tafte of vitriol without acid, ’tis mani-
feft that the mineral fpirit of the waters is of an
acid nature. Let us difiolve a little vitriol of iron
in a good quantity of common water, and add to
it fome drops of the volatile fpirit of fulphur or vi¬
triol, it will fmell and tafte fo-exa6lly like the
water of our wells, that one muft do the greateft
violence to his fenfes, to deny that they are like
the one to the other ; or it into a good quantity
of common water, you drop folutionem jerri per
fpiritum fulphuns vel vitrioli, adding a little of the
faid fpirits and of glauber fait, this mixture
will tafte more like the mineral waters.

3 dly. We have already fhewn, that in a ftone
quarry near the wells, and in the mineral wells
themfelves, there is a fulphur eous acid vapour ,
which is v frequently fo ftrong, that all kind of
beafts are killed thereby ; when we examine the
vapour in the hole of the quarry by the fmell,
we find that there is nothing it is more like to
than to the volatile , penetrating, acid fmell ot great
Hack ants , from whence they diftil fpiritum for -
micarum acido volatilem.

And feeing this vapour, as we have already
fhewn, vents itfelf through the mineral wells,
confequently the waters cannot but be acid, for we
know by many chymical experiments, how eafily
a mineral acid fpirit, refolved into fmoak, will
ftx itfelf in water placed near to it, and continue
united with it.

4 thly. It is only the acid fpirit that can difiolve
the ingredients contained in the water, and keep
them in the form of a clear liquor ; we have a!»

C 2 ready

reacly (hewn how eafily the mixture of the mi¬
neral water is undone, and the feveral ingredients
in it are feparated ; but if you mix a few drops
of the acid of falt-peter or fait with it, but particu¬
larly the /pint of Julphur or vitriol , fo that the acid
begins to predominate a little, all the ingredients
will remain diffolved, and the water continue
clear as chryftal, whether hot or cold, fo that they
cannot be feparated till all the water be eva¬
porated. .

If you take fome very troubled mineral water,

and drop a little fpirit of vitriol into it, in a mo¬
ment all the ferruginous earth, and whatever elfe
is contained in the water, will diffolve, and it
will become perfeftly clear again; from hence
we may clearly enough conclude, that the men-
jiruuMy or whatever it is, that lharpens the wa¬
ter, and communicates to it the diffolving quality,
muft be the acid of irony and other mineral ftones.

ythlyj Nobody has hitherto been able to prove,
that any other befide an acid fpirit arifes, or can be
prepared from minerals, ana brought in liquor emy
and feeing that fubtile, rough, fharp, fomewhat in
the water, muft be a fpirit , & quidem ex miner alibuSj
neceffarily it muft be fomewhat acid ; and every
where in all minerals and metals, the acid is to
be found in and with the fulphur , and in many
places great mountains, and large tra&s of
ground are full of them ; and in great earth¬
quakes and mines in feveral places of Europe , iron
and fulphur are found together in ftones or flints
of different forts.

And it has been demonftrated by the beft wri¬
ters on mineral waters, E . G. Dr. Lifter . defon -
iibus medicatis Anglia y and Dr. Bergern in his differ-
ration de L'hermis Carolinisy that the true original
of all the ingredients and materials of mineral acid

waters^

[ 21 3

waters, and of hot baths, is to be found in pyrites
ftones, moiftened and mollified by water ; and
this truth is agreed to by the moft learned philo-
fophers in that way, and it alfo confirms this,
that the fpirit of the mineral water proceeds from
the acid, feeing the irony ftones and pyrites have
no other thing elfe that is fpirituous in them, and
they confift of fulphur , iron , and a ftony matter.

The acid of this fulphur is the only men-
fir mm or inftrument of diffolution, whereby all
the ingredients of the irony-ftones are made i°iU“
ble, and united with the water. the ^acid
alone without any alcali, together with the iron,
gives the 'vitriol tafte and purple blue tincune to

the waters. . r

The acid alfo preferves in all mineral , elpe-
daily fleel waters, their excellent qualities and vir¬
tues, and to this they owe their good effe&s.

If once this acid be loft, or abforbed by the at -
caline terreftrial particles of the irony ftones ox
pyrites, the excellent mineral fpirit, the vitriol
tafte, the imtlure, as alfo the beft qualities and vir¬
tues of the waters are loft at the fame time.
Wherefore the acid of the irony ftones and pyutae
is the firft and chief thing that ought to be con-
fidered in the original and mixture of the mine-
ral waters, and if this be forgot, and only regard
had to the alcali and the / alia enixa ± the key will
be intirely loft ; whereby the generation , and all
the phenomena of mineral waters, may be clearly

explained. . ,

6thly, We have a very good proof a pojterion

in our mineral waters, that there is not only an
acid among its ingredients, but that it mult be in
fpecie, the acid of fulphur j for it is fhewn under
the fourth head or pofition, that the fait ot the
water confiftsof an alcali, and the acid oi ~

C-]

phur ; and that by adding ahquod pingue , it may
be made fulphur 7 and out of the fulphur may be
made fpirit us acidus, or by adding of iron, vitriol
may be made of it, alfo of the bare fait of the
water a quantity of pure fulphur may be made;
and whofoever will rightly confider the original
of this fait, as it fhall be afterwards explained, as
alfo the generation of the fulphur, and the experi¬
ments relating thereto, will, as it is hoped, have
no further doubt that the volatile fpirit of the wa¬
ter muft proceed from the acid of fulphur in the
irony ftones and pyritae.

Dr. Hare has indeed on the contrary afferted,
ift , That fulphur is an alcall . idly. That the
acid fpirit that is diftilled from the fait of the Pyr -
mont waters, is only a creature or produdtum of the
fire ; but feeing the author does not confute the
experiments, whereby out of this acid creature of
the fire, fulphur may be again made in different
ways, and fo become what it was, before ever it
was brought to the fire, all his objediions fall to
the ground.

! idly , We fee moreover, that this fpirit isefpe-
cially herein diftinguifhed from the common fpirit
of fulphur, in that it brings along with itfelf a
fuhtilized mineral pinguedo , a fat wherewith it was
mixed under ground.

It is allowed, that there are few mineral wa¬
ters to be found wherein one can meet with a
right, pure, formal fulphur , except in thofe that
are cold ; and various authors affert many things
upon this head without any good foundation.

The principles of common fulphur are, an
acid) a / mall quantity of fat , and of earth , and it is
evidently, a compofitum , which cannot be difiblved
intirely in water without the addition of a fharpaU
c aline fait. When this is done either by art, or nature

in

C 23 3

in baths and wells, the waters have a ftrong rot-
ten tafte, and in many hot baths, may be com¬
pared to that of rotten Eggs, and fuch waters
make filver firft yellowifh, and at laft black, as
folutio fulphuris per alcali ufes to do ; but it is not
fo with our waters, wherefore we do not affert,
that there is a formal fulphur in them, but it may
well be put together or reduced from the contenta
of the water, as we ftiall afterwards fhew ; but
that there is contained in it a fat and a combuftible
fubjiance is manifeft, for if you throw the dryed
reddijh fediment of the water upon melted falt-peter ,
you will plainly fee, that a great many particles
of it do kindle and burn with the falt-peter, and
this is more manifeft if you gather a good quan¬
tity of the fkin of divers colours , that is formed
upon the waters, and after drying it throw it
upon the fmelted falt-peter, you will obferve a
great many clear fparks burning out of it, which
you cannot obferve, if you throw any matter up¬
on it that has nothing combuftible in it.

If you fmelt a quantity of the yellow ferrugi¬
nous earth which the waters leave upon the ground,
in a clofe crucible, without mixing any thing with
it, after it is bruifed, it will follow the magnet,
which throughly burnt iron crocus, in which
there is nothing combuftible left, will not do ; and
before the magnet can move it, you muft put fome
fat or combuftible thing to if, and fmelt it with it.
And as the diftilled water has fomething of a
burnt tafte, we may from that conjefture, that
fome combuftible thing muft be there, for fuch a
tafte proceeds only from fat and combuftible
things. Moreover, as fat things are light and
fwim upon the water, and appear in different co¬
lours, fo alfo the fkin of divers colours , which we
have already defcribed, is a manifeft proof, that

C 4 the

[ 24 ]

the waters contain a fat ; the fulphur alfo which
by diltillation is found in the fait of the mineral
waters, is a proof of a fat in the waters, feeing
there is no fulphur without it.

It is this fat which, together with the parti¬
cles of iron, forms the Akin of divers colours, and
the faid iron particles are kept fwimming by it,
for they being heavier than any of the other in¬
gredients in the water, would neceffarily fall to
the bottom, if they were not fupported by fome-
thing that is light. It is this fubtilized fat , bound
up with the acid fpirit , which gives the waters
their agreeable and fpirituous tafte , and is the caufe
why they don’t tafte like common water, made
fharp with the fpirit of fulphur and vitriol , nor lb
flat and fweet as diluted folutio vitrioli martis , but
rather penetrating and piquant like wine.

And the mineral waters may in feveral things
be compared to fermented liquors , for as from a
thick, fweet, and clammy muftum , by the internal
motion and fubtilization of the fat, and of the fa-
line acid particles, a fpirituous , ftrong , clear and
agreeable liquor is prepared : in like manner from
the coarfe dead ftones, by the conftant moiftening
of the water, and motion of their particles, the
excellent mineral fpirit of the medicinal waters is
formed in the bowels of the earth of fat and acid
ingredients.

And as fermented liquors emit a fulphureous
penetrating vapour, fo that in great cellars, can¬
dles are frequently put out, and people made
giddy thereby, fo there arifes a vapour from the
mineral refolution of the ftones, which at wells,
and other holes and openings of the earth, getting
vent, does affe6t both men and beafts.

We come now to the third pofition, viz. that
the faid fpirit , contrary to the opinion of all au¬
thors.

[>!]

thors, does not diffipate and fly away, but on the
contrary, is always more and more fixed ; and
this is clear from the fmell of the waters, when
newly taken out of the well ; for it is not pene¬
trating, fulphureous and fuffocating, as all volatile
fpirits ufe to be, but it is a vitriol fmell, though
fometimes it has fomething of a gentle fulphur , as
when you diffolve vitriol of iron in water, and
fmell to it ; in a word, it is a gentle metallic k, and
fomewhat of a fulphur fmelf as one may fay of
a piece of tin, copper, iron, filver, yea gold it-
felf, that it has fomething of a fmell, the effluvia
being exceeding fmall.

If you fet a great quantity of it upon the fire,
which prefently makes all fpirituous things, which
are any way loofe and volatile , prefently to fmell
ltrong, you may hold your head over it a great
while, fuppofing a large copper full of it, and
the fire be ever fo ftrong, yet neither the organs
of fmelling nor of refpiration fhall be affedted
thereby; or if you have any objedtion to this,
then hold your head over the fmall opening of a
great glafs receiver full of the water, and heat*
ed as quickly as poffible, yet you will perceive
nothing different from the fteam of common wa¬
ter. Is this fpirit then fo fubtile, that it cannot
affedt the organs of fmelling and refpiration ? All
the fpirits we know, in the whole materia medica
and cbymicUy the more fubtile and volatile they
are, the more powerfully do they affedf the ole-
fadtory nerves ; or how can we tafte this fpirit,
but not fmell it ?

It is objedied, that there arifes a fulphureous va¬
pour out of the wells, which manifeftly fhews
how the fpirits evaporate ; but this objedtion ra¬
ther confirms than deftroys our pofition ; for fup-
pofe that the fpirit in the water, either were, or

were,

[ 26 ]

were like to any thing that arifes like a fulphu¬
reous vapour out of the wells, certainly it muft
have the fame effeft during the time it is evapo¬
rating, and the water, when warmed, would
emit a fujfocating, ftupijywg fleam, which is by no
means the cafe with our waters, as we have al¬
ready fhewn.

This fulphureous vapour is not to be looked up¬
on as an eflential part of the mineral waters, but
as meerly accidental ; for the queftion is not,
whether a fulphureous fpirit , which the waters can¬
not fix in themfelves, does not now and then rife
up and fpread itfelf through the openings of the
wells ; but the queftion is about the fpirits which
properly belong to the mixture of the waters, and
are incorporated with it, and alfo unite the other
ingredients with it. That this fpirit does eva¬
porate, it no ways appears, nor can any man
prove it.

And though what is diftilled from the frelh
waters has fomething of a burnt tafte, yet no
body can look upon this as a fpirit, for there is no
difference in the tafte between the firft drops and
the laftT nor have they any effeft in Jolutiombus or
precipitationibus.

If it be afked, what becomes of the fpirit, and
where does it remain, feeing it does not evapo¬
rate, and yet is fo foon loft ? this difficulty will
be very eafily folved by fhewing, 4 thly, that this
fpirit unites itfelf by degrees with the alcalme
fait, or with the fubtile flooeet alcalme earth , of
which in all mineral waters there is always fome
quantity found, and makes of it a fal emmm ,
ovneutrumfx^Q a tartarus vitriolatus, fal polychrefitum ,
or rather like a fal mirahile glauberu

There is no rule in chymiftry more common,
true, or lefs denied, than that acid things and

lixivious

C 27 ]

lixivious falls ^ or alcalia , when put together, do
unite the one with the other ; at firft they ftruggle
and bite one another with great violence (tofpeak
as the chymifts do,) which occafions a great noife,
a great deal of froth, and frequently heat ; pre-
fently upon this, they are clofely bound together,
and of them two is formed a third fait , which is
neither acid nor lixivious , nor taftelefs like a terra
alcalina , but altogether faline.

The falls that arife from this union are called
folia neutra , or enixa, as common fait, Jalt-peter ,
allum , fal polychreftum , fal mirabile glauberi , &c.
forne of which are formed by nature, others pre¬
pared by art ; and the acid which before was fo
volatile and fpirituous, does afterwards cleave fo
faft to the alcali , that frequently it cannot be fepa-
rated from it by the ftrongeft fire.

Now feeing the mineral fpirit of ft eel waters , ac¬
cording to the opinion of moft, both ancient and
modern phyficians, does chiefly confift of an -acidy
according to our firft pofition, and that modern
authors agree, that in all hot and cold mineral
waters, there is not only a lixivious fait , or an ab
c aline earth , but that the alcali predominates in
them, fo that the acid fpirit cannot evaporate, but
muft, according to the already mentioned well
known rule, combine or unite with the alcali ,
when it meets with it in any liquor, and thereby
form a fal enixum , or neutrum ; and we have al¬
ready mentioned what quantity of the faid fait is
contained in a pound of our waters ; we have al¬
ready diftinguiihed between a volatile and a fixed
fpirit of fulphur in the waters. The volatile, ful-
phureous, and fat acidum , cleaves to the particles
of iron, and by its peculiar property, which all
artificially prepared acids have not, defends itfelf
a^ainft the alcali in the water, till it be over¬
powered

C 28 3

powered by the air and the heat ; but the fixed
acid is already united with the alcali, while under
ground, and with it conftitutes, as we have al*
ready faid, the greateft part of the bitter mineral

0Jj(Xt6Y

When the chryftals of this fait are expofed to
the eye, -they are very like the chryftals of falt-
peter , but when examined with a magnifying
glafs, they don’t appear to have fo many angles
and other figures intermixed as falt-peter, and they
are all fmall oblong parallelograms , with four fides,
and the uppermoft and undermoft fides are broader
than the two remaining horizontal plains are;
when this fait is freed from the volatile fpirit of
fulphur, either per retortam , or by calcination in a
fmelting crucible, and chriftalized anew, all the
before-mentioned figures appear great, beautilul
and tranfparent, and fome of them are half an
inch long, and in breadth about T or v o.f their
length, others of them appear (hort and thick,
but all quadrangular.

If you dry this fait gently, you may make of
it a powder white as fnow ; ^ it has the gentleft
tafte of any fait whatfoever, it is cooling and per-
feftly bitter, but it has not the leaft tafte of al-
lam , as fome authors have falfely pretended. The
chryftals are fo folubile, that if you put half an
ounce of water, and as much of the fait in a
glafs, the fait by the gentle heat of the hand, and
by turning it over and over, will change into fmall
grains, which cannot be done with any fal neu-
trum, except tartar, folub. and terra foliata tartan ,
and even thefe not fo well. If you let the dif-
folved fait ftand in a glafs in the open air for fome
days, it rifes above the water, and forms all kind
«f figures, as falt-peter and fome other falls do.

If

C 3

If to the folution of the frelh fait you put a
fmall quantity of a lharp diffolved lixivious fait,
either that of pot-a/hes, or fait of tartar , it will
precipitate a fmall matter white as l'now, which
will by degrees fix upon the bottom like fmall bits
of cotton ; and if you feparate it from the water
edulcorate, and dry it, you will find it to be a
fine alcaline earth , which will fret with acid things.
But you cannot obferve any effervefcence in this
fait itfelf, when mixed with all kinds of acid or
alcaline things ; yet it is remarkable, that though
Che oil, or the heavy acid of -vitriol will not fer¬
ment with the fait , yet if you pour it upon the
frelh fait, when it is neither diftilled nor calcined,
and mix them together, there will prefently arife
a volatile-penetrating-acid-fulphureous Jpirit, and will
continue very fenfibly for fome time.

From what has been faid, it is evident, that a
part of the natural acid in our waters is much
more delicate, fubtile and volatile than the com¬
mon prepared acid of -vitriol , which in this expe¬
riment drives away the natural volatile acid from
its alcali, and fixes itfelf in its place. If you pour
the oil of vitriol upon tartar, vitriolat. glauber fait,
or Epfom fait , you will obferve no penetrating fpi¬
rit rifing up, becaufe in thefe faltbus neutris the
acid is as ftrong, coarfe and heavy, as the oil of
vitriol itfelf.

If you make the frelh fait of our waters pafs
through a glafs ritorte, the volatile and moft fubtile
part will be feparated from the acid fpirit, and will,
like the moft volatile fpirit of vitriol , penetrate with
a ftrong fulphureous fmell, through the joinings
and clay of the ftill. This is the true fpirit of
the mineral -water , which fo many perfons have
hitherto hunted after to no purpofe ; from three
quarters of a pound of our fait, after having

C 30 3 , _

dried it perfectly well, I had above three ounces
of the acid volatile fpirit, to which one muft
fmell very gently, if he would not be half run

through. ..... .

Whatever may be faid of the beft fpirit of vi¬
triol, may be faid alfo of this liquor, it had a ftrong
tafte like the not rechfied fpirit of tartar, its colour
was a reddifb yellow, and when put upon filver,
it made black fpots in it. There was fomething
of a black foot in the neck of the ritorte, and
which is very remarkable, above a grain of per-
fea fulphur. In a fmelting fire, our fait melts
with an ordinary heat, more eafily than tartarus
vitriolatus, and becomes as fine and thin as water:
if you throw a little pulvor'ned fmall-coal upon it,
or any other fat oily thing, and cover the crucible
well, letting it ftand for fome time upon the fire,
you lhall have out of it a hepar fulphuris, and you
may obferve a blue flame, and the ufual fulphu-
reous fmell rifing from it.

This hepar fulphuris has all the properties and
effefts of common fulphur, when it is mixed and
fmelted with a Humous fait ; if you diffolve it in
water, and pour diftilled vinegar upon it, you
will have lac fulphuris pracipitatum, which being
dried and put into a glafs or earthen veffel, by
fetting it upon hot fand, may be reduced to a for¬
mal yellow fulphur, and out of this may be pre¬
pared an acid fpiritus fulphuris per campanam, with
iron, vitriol, and with all kind of oils, balfama
fulphuris ; fo that all the ufual compofitions and
tranfpofitions of fulphur may be prepared out of
it, as of common fulphur.

In the forefaid experiment the acid of our fait
unites itfelf with the fat of the coal and other
combuftible things ; and thus of the fat and this

acid

i 3* 1

acid is formed a real fulpbur , but the alcali in the
fait forms the hepar Julphur is .

A real true fulphur in no manner of way can
be prepared with the acid fpirit of common fait
and falt-peter, and other acid fpirits; from whence
we may fafely conclude, that the acid fpirit of our
water and ’ fait , is the acid of fulphur or vitriol ;
feeing this acid alone is only fit, together with a
fat, to be formed again into a fulphur, fuch as it
was before in the hones.

If our fait after it is freed from the volatile fpi¬
rit by diftillation or calcination , be compared with
any of the known falts? which are prepared of
the acid of fulphur or vitriol , and a fixed alcali , it
will be found to refemble the glauher fait as much
as any other whatfoever; neither is it unlike the
Englifh Epfom fait, but the quality by which it is
diftinguiihed from both is, that a part of the
acid of this fait is more delicate, fubtile and vola¬
tile, and alfo contains in itfelf fome fuhtilized par¬
ticles of a combuftihle fuhft an ce out of the ftones,
fo that by the common acid of vitriol, and alfo
by diftillation it can be forced from its alcali,
which is not the cafe with the glauber and Ep¬
fom falts.

If this fimple truth, which has been explained
I under the fourth pofition, be duly confidered,
viz. that the [harp and acid fpirit of the mineral
waters does not evaporate, but that uniting itfelf
! with the alcali , it forms folia enixa or neutra , and
if the feveral alterations of the waters be rightly
i obferved, our fifth pofition will be thereby greatly
: confirmed, which is, that the acid fpirit of the
waters, by uniting itfelf with the alcali , muft let
fall all' the diffolved particles of iron which it
I had affumed, and fo the waters muft lofe all their
vttriolick qualities ,

H

[ 3

It has been already fhewn that the waters con¬
tain a perfeft fteel, both from the reddiih yellow
earth which lies about the wells, and which,
when fmelted, is attracted by the loadftone, and
alfo from the yellow matter or lubftance, which
being feparated both from the water and the other
contents, and then fmelted, is alfo attracted by
the loadftone and it is certain, that the Pyrmoni
waters are fo rich in fteel, that no waters I know,
can be compared to them in this point, and this
will be manifeft to any body that will be at- the
pains to compare the fediment of a like quantity
of any other chalibeat water with ours, and it
will appear that there is not only lefs of the
reddiih yellow matter in it, but alfo that the co¬
lour of the other fediments is much paler than
that of ours ; and any perfon of experience in
examining mineral waters, may ealily latisfy him-

felf about it. . , . , , . , , . . c

That the fteel is united with the acid Jpint ot

tulthur. and thereby forms a delicate vitriolum mar‘
its nativum , is

X' * i t "I I

fmell, and from the known proof with gall,
which in our waters makes a faturated purple-
* blue and reddiih colour, is fo manifeft, that all
authors with one voice acknowledge, that there
is vitriol in all mineral chalibeat waters , but as
all fuch waters intirely lofe all vitriol qualities
when put upon the fire, or when only expofed to
the open air, fo that there does not remain the
leaft appearance of a real vitriol : this has con¬
founded all authors, fo that fome have faid one
thing, fome another, but none # of them has
either found out, or explained intelligibly the j
true caufes of the wonderful lofs of tie vi~ j
trial.

>

i

C i? 'J ..

It is well known that metals of all kinds when
diffolved by acid fpirits, and brought into a tran-
fparent liquor, will, by mixing a fubtile alcalme
earthy or lixivious fait with them, be fnatcbed
from them and fall to the bottom, the acid join¬
ing itfelf more eafily with the ale ah than with
the metal, fo that this needs no further explica¬
tion and when we have fhewn that there are
fuch like combinations and precipitations in mineral
waters, then all the great difficulties which learn¬
ed men form to themfelves, will fall to the ground ;
viz. how to explain why the vitriol is fo eafily
ioft, either in the open air or by a gentle heat ?
and why it is impoffible by art, to draw any vi¬
triol from fuch kind of waters ?

Vitriol is not of fuch a nature as to be deftroy-
ed by a gentle fire, as long as it has enough of
water or moifture by it, and yet it cannot be had
out of waters, in which, when they are frefh, it is
obferved to be, by divers properties peculiar to it.

It is with the vitriol in mineral waters, as with
a folution of common vitriol , when an alcaline lixi¬
vium is poured upon it ; the acidum lets go the
metal, and unites itfelf with the alcali , and with
it makes a tartarum vitriolatum. The fait is form¬
ed after the fame manner, and is of the fame
kind, and does not differ from it in any effential
point ; and when it is thus formed, the metal,
fteal or iron, which was diffolved by the acid, falls
to the ground like a yellow powder.

All the phenomena which one obferves by in¬
quiring into the mineral waters, do agree with
this pofition, and'may be clearly explained by the
fame. E. G . why fo many globules of air arife
out of the mineral water when it is warmed ?
•whenever new combinations of different ingre¬
dients in the waters happen * whenever an acid

D particle

[ 34 1

particle unites itfelf with an alcaline, the air is
forced out of the interfaces and pores of the bo¬
dies and extending itfelf into frnall bubbles, and
being lighter than the water, it is preffed up to
the furface. How many thoufand globules of air
will arife from a frnall piece of metal, when it is
diffolved by an acid fpirit, and incorporated into
it ? On the contrary, when fpirits fly out of any
liquid, they go incognito without any tumult,
fuch as volatile, burning, or fnoaking fpirits , there

is no noife, no air-bubbles.

Whence is it that the waters after tome time
cannot receive any tin&ure from gall ? This is no
more to be wondered at, than that ink loles its
blacknefs and becomes brown, when any alca¬
line lixivium is mixed with it. In neither ol
thefe liquors does the iron or the acid of vitriol
vanifli, but their particles are placed and combi¬
ned after a different manner.

Whence is it that fo fpirituous a liquor does la
eafily turn to a flat infipid water, and yet accord¬
ing to our hypothefis, the fpirits are not evapo¬
rated ? This happens juft after the very fame manner,
that the moft corrofive aqua fortis may preiently
by a little alcaline fait be made fo blunt and mild,
that one may afterwards eat it without receiving
any injury, the fpirit does not evaporate, but all
that, which before made the aqua foitis fo fharp
and fpirituous, is yet in the liquor, and is to be
found in the newly formed [ale vnedio^ and may
be brought out of it again, juft as, we have already
obferved, may be done with our mineral water
felt. From hence it is alfo eafy to explain why hot
mineral waters are not by much fo fharp, nor j
have fo much of the wine tafte as the cold wa¬
ters and precipitate the iron fooner ; for the great

heat which follows upon fuch like precipitations

and

[ 35 ]

and combinations, fffc. as are occafioned by the
acid fpirit that is in mineral ftones, is in a great
meafure already over, while thefe waters were un¬
der ground, which alterations the cold waters do
not undergo till they are aboveground. And here
it may be proper to confider, the principal and moft
fpecious objection which can be made to our hypo-
thefts, viz. why is it fo long before the acid and alca-
Tt unite the one with the other in our mineral wa¬
ters? why muft the waters be warmed fo long be¬
fore this combination enfues ; whereas on the con¬
trary, chymical acids and alcalis do unite with
great force, even in a moment ?

The caufes of this difference are as follows :

Firft, As we have already fhewn, that though
the fpirit of our mineral waters be the acid of fiul-
pbur or vitriol, yet being a natural fpirit, it differs
from the common fpirit prepared by art, and is
mixed with a certain fubtilized fat, whereby it is
made more gentle, delicate and volatile than the
common fpirit of fulphur or vitriol • and it is
from this mixture of fubtile fat, that the fpirit fez ms
to have its property of cleaving fo dole to iron,
as a metal which has in itfelf a great deal of
combuftible fubftance ; when this fubtile fat fubftance
is, by means of the air and the heat which put
all its parts into a new motion, fepa rated from
the fpirit, then alfo its particular nexus with iron
ceafes, and the acid fpirit paffes intirely over to
the fubtile alcaline earth ; fo that it is this fat and
the iron, which keeps the acid a long time from
mixing intirely with the alcali.

Secondly , The natural mineral alcali is not fo
fharp nor infinuating as the artificial is, as may ea-
ftly be been, it the mineral fait be diffolved in water,
and it diffolved fait of tartar , or a clean lixivium
of pvt-a/hes be poured upon it, it will precipitate

Da a

C^3

a fubtile alcaline earth from the fait, and join it
felf with the acid in its room, and the dealt will
remain ftill in the water, without having any ef¬
fect upon the acid, till fuch time as the air and
heat caufe a new motion in all its parts.

The natural acid f pint as well as the natural d-
cali in chalibeat waters has its peculiar character
and property, by which they are both remark¬
ably diftinguifhed from fuch as are artificial ; the
natural acid fpirit , as long as the water is not
moved by the air, and the heat, continues to cleave
faft to the particles of iron, and does not pre-
fently mix with the ale ah ; but it is not fo with
the artificial acidfiox as foon as an ale ah approaches
it in any liquor, it prefently joins itfelf to it, and
leaves the diffolved metal, whatever it may be ;
vet this is not an eifential difference, it is only m
decree and time, and what the artificial effedfuates
in a moment, the natural performs but very Uow-
ly. And this is the true way to explain the ieve-
ral phenomena obfervable in the mineral waters ,
for other opinions are partly too fubtile and in-
comprehenfible, and partly contrary to experience

and the teftimony of our fenfes.

We come now to explain our fixth propolition,
viz. That the fubtile f met alcaline earth in the mine--
ral waters does far exceed the acid fpirit in quantity ,
jo that they muft operate rather as an ale all than an
acid ’ And here we muft drew what proofs we
find of an alcali in our chalibeat waters, and
that the acid fpirit is far from being fufficient to
faturate all the alcali in them, but that in propor¬
tion there is ftill a great quantity of fubtile alcaline

earth remaining over and above.

And, firft, the frefh water ferments ftrongly

with all kind of acid things , E. G. wine, vinegar,
fpirit of nitre, fait and vitriol.

Secondly,

[ 37 ]

I

Secondly, It is not turned by the fyrop of vio-
ts, and the juice of red cabbage, into a grafs-
green colour, but becomes fomewhat greenifh ;
and when fuch like juices, by being mixed with
acid things , become of a high red colour, it re-
ftores them again to their blewifh colour.

Thirly, A folution of common vitriol does firft
trouble the waters, and then by degrees intirely
precipitates without any noife or effervefcence,
but the folution of fublimate does not trouble the
water at all, much lels does it precipitate a red-
dilh-yellow, orange-colour’d powder, as other
fharp ale aline waters ufe to do, for it requires a
fharp [aline alcali , to bring this colour out of the
fublimate, bare alcaline earth will not do it, E. G.
crabs eyes, prepared mufcles, and the like. It is
manifeft that, that part of the alcali of the waters,
which is the moft fubtile, and fitteft for mixing
with the fait, is bound up by the acid particles,
and that the remaining part of it is no t fubtile, fa-
line , and fharp enough to infinuate itfelf into the
compofition of the fublimate, and to precipitate
the mercury, and give it a reddilh-yellow colour.

Fourthly, When the Pyrmont water is mixed
with fweet milk, and boiled with it, it rather
hinders it to coagulate, than any manner of wa y
difpofes it for it, which would not happen, if the
acid had the advantage or predominated in the
water. Thefe experiments clearly and fully fhew
the alcaline nature of the waters ; we fhall now
fhew, that, after the waters are all evaporated,
there remains an alcali behind. /

We have already fhewn that the moft fubtile
f aline , alcaline part is bound up with the acid in
the bitter fait, and that after evaporating the wa¬

ters, there remains an earthy alcalf which has

nothing of fait in it, will now appear. When

D 3

the

[ 33 3

the fal amarum neutrum is feparated from the fedi-
meat of the water, there remains behind about
two thirds of a taftelefs reddilh yellow earth, of
which there is about 14 or iy grains in one
pound of water ; of this there may be two grains
reckon’d for iron, and about one third of it is a
materia felemtica \ fo that there remains about
eight grains of cremor and fubtile ale aline earthy
which will caufe an effervefcence and froth when
mixed with acid things , and almoft wholly dif*
folve, and this alcaline earth is white as fnow,
and as fine and delicate as prepared mother of
pearl, and it is inferiour to no alcaline earth in fub-
tilnefs and virtue, which may be eafily conceiv’d,
feeing it cannot be difcovered in fo tranfparent
and clear chryftal water.

In my opinion, it is not difficult to difcover
the original of this alcaline earth ; the Pyritee have
not only julphur and iron in them, but as they
have the name, fo they are really ftones, and have
a great deal of a ftony hard fubftance, fome more,
fome lefs ; in fome it is coarfe, in others fubtile,
fine and foft. When the acid fulpleureous fpirit and
the iron, which is in thefe ftones begin through
the moiftening of the water, to operate the one
upon the other, the ftony fubftance is affe&ed at
the fame time, and is penetrated, fubtilized and
diffolved by the mineral fpirit ; the fubtileft part of
the fame mixing with the fait, joins itfelf to the
heavieft part of the acid, and fo conftitutes our
hitter mineral water fait : when above ground the
iron is feparated from the acid fpirit, a part of
the ale ali is faturated by this acidy another part is
-the above mentioned alcaline earth or ale ali terreumy
and another part of this ftony fubftance, is inti¬
mately mixed with fomething of an acid fulphur%

[ 39 ]

nd conftitutes that matter which we made men¬
tion of in our feventh pofition, viz.

That there is in the waters a clean, tranfparent ,
cryftalline taftelefs fubfiance, like a lapis felenites, or
like fmall mountain cryjials .

When the water is diftilPd very gently and
flowly, and after it is almoft wholly evaporated,
this cryftalline fubftance places itfelf all over the
ale aline cremor , and the flower the waters are eva*
porated, the greater the cryftals are, which fome-
times cannot be well diftinguilhed by the naked
eye, but in a magnifying glafs they appear in
fmall white fhining particles, all made up of clear
tranfparent prickles, prefently they become larger,
and appear ty’d like fmall brooms, there being a
great many of them clofely compared and tied
together at one{ end, and at the other end divided
into a great many points ; fometimes they appear
like fo many fmall, thin, tranfparent lamettas,
and quadrangular , oblong , flat fmall figures , which
manifeftly reprefent the lapis Jelenites to the naked
eye. This matter is perfeftly taftelefs, does not
grif under one’s teeth like fand, but is foft like the
felenites ft one.

Thefe cryftals when either put near a gentle
fire, or calcined upon a good fire, lofe all their
Ihining and tranfparency, and turn to a powder
whiter than fnow, but it is not at all like lime ;
for it has no heat if you pour water upon it, nor
is there any elfervefcence when it is mixed with
acid things, fo that it has all the chief qualities of
the felenites ft tone ,

The reafon why I compar’d it to the moun¬
tain cryftal is, becaufe this matter, according as
the evaporation proceeds, quick or flow, turns
into cryftals that refemble long fpits and needles,
whereas the felenites ftone does commonly form it

P 4 ' felf

I

[ 4° 3

felf into thin fmall leaves one upon another, and
fome times into clear broad Plates. And this may
fuffice concerning the volatile and fixed ingredi¬
ents and contents of Pyrmont waters.

CHAP. III.

4

Of the chef virtues and ejfecls of the Pyrmont wa-
ters upon humane bodies j and of the difeafes which
have been cured thereby.

AFTER having fully examined and confi-
der’d the mineral contents of the Pyrmont
waters, and what diftinguifbes them from com¬
mon water, with the feveral remarkable circum-
ftances relating to them, we muft now confider
their virtues, effefts, and manner of working.

The mineral waters work according to all their
incorporated ingredients together, and the fafeft
and fureft way to learn the virtues and advan¬
tages of any water, is, by repeated experience
and manifold examples ; and we are not to rejeft
all confider ations a priori , providing we do not
take for our foundation a chaos of chymerical in¬
gredients, but the true anatomy of the feveral dif¬
ferent parts of the contents of the water, for
hereby we attain to a reafonable practice, and
hereby is experience confirmed, and render’d un¬
changeable ; for otherwife it often happens, that
phyficians in their water defcriptions. contradict
themfelves, and fay fo many abfurd things of the
virtues of their water, that what one eftablifhes:
to day is confuted by another to morrow.

Before

[41 3

Before we take into confideration the common
effects of the water, we will firft confider and fet
before you thefe portions, we have already de-
monftrated,

Firft, The acid fpirit of fulphur .

'idly) The vitriolum martis nativum *

3 dlj) The Jalt.

The fl eel or iron.

ythly, The alcaline earth. And,

6thlj) The cryftalline fuhfiance.

Each in particular according to its peculiar known
properties and effefts.

The firft is the fpirit of fulphur. That acid of
fulphur and vitriol is of the fame fpecies, is a thing
agreed upon by the moft learned chymifts, and
they can, as often as they pleafe, without any
difficulty, make vitriol out of fulphur, and with
the acid of vitriol make fulphur, one out of the
other.

That the fpirit of fulphur and vitriol is a medi¬
cament, which without any mixture of any other
thing, may be taken without any danger or hurt,
to i®, 15 drops, and fometimes a fcruple and
more, is agreed upon by the learnedeft and moft
experienced pra&itioners.

And this acid is fo far from doing any hurt,
that when it is taken with due regard to the con-
ftitution, and in due time and order, it ftrength-
ens the ftomach, reftores loft appetite, deftroys
the fuperabundant bitterifh fharpnefs, both in the
ftomach and bowels, and alfo in the blood, and
carries all fuch matter entirely off by urine. This
acidum has been found of great ufe in hot fevers,
efpecially in thofe that are infe&ious, and it is
ufual to mix in drink 12, ly or 20 drops, where¬
by the very much thinned blood is a little thickned,
^nd a putrid refolution of it prevented, &c.

As

[ 42 1

As to what relates to the acid fpirit of fulphur
or vitriol, which appears in our fteel waters, we
have ihewn in the preceding chapter, that it is
very like the volatile fpirit of vitiiol , luch a fpirit
has indeed a very ftrong penetrating fmell, but
neither the tafte of it, nor the corroding effeft, is
by any means fo ftrong as a common acid of vi¬
triol, or any other acid chymical fpirit , yea it is
gentler by much than vinegar , which we daily
make ufb of.

The caufe of the gentlenefs of this volatile fpi¬
rit, tho’ it is itfelf an acid of the fame fpecies as
the common acid of vitriol (for the common fpi¬
rit may be eafily changed into a volatile, & e
contra ) we have already given, viz. that the fufa
tllized fat that is mixed with it does indeed make
the acid fait p articles more volatile ; but according
to the manner of all oily and fat things, does
blunt and remove their fharpnefs and pointednefs,
and not only this, but the fpirits of this water
are freed from all gnawing and corrofive fharp-
nefs, both by the diffolved iron with which they
are combin’d, and by the alcal'i , as in Pofition 6,
7, fo that it is impoffible that the acid fhould any
manner of way corrode the moft foluble thing
whatfoever.

On the contrary, the efficacy and virtue oi luch
a ‘volatile fpirit has been fo much celebrated by
many chy milts and pradfitioners, againft epilepfees3
palpitation of the heart, &c. and for the fpeedy
reflation of all forts of obftruftions , that if the
half of it were true, it ought to be look’d upon
as an excellent remedy } but the natural fpirit
muft be more excellent, than that prepared by
art. This volatile acid according to our fifth pofi¬
tion, is united with the iron, and with it confti-

tutes a hard vttrtolum mariis nafivuniy which is the

fecond

[ 43 3

fecond ingredient we mult here confider accord*
ing to its medicinal properties and virtues.

A clean vitriol of iron is not only daily made ufe
of, by the belt pra&itioners, as a fafe and good
remedy, but they give a dofe of it fo far as io,
12, i y grains, and continue it daily one week af¬
ter another. It opens obftru&ions in the bowels
of the lower belly, ftrengthens the fame, and by
the gentle contra&ing virtue of the iron helps
their too great relaxation, diffolves (lime, kills
worms, &c. The much ufed and excellent tine-
tura martis Ludovici T trtarifata is made out of it,
and the moft cautious phyficians make no fcruple
to give the vitriol of iron to children of a week
old, in pulvere abforbente Wedelii .

If notwithstanding all this, any perfon Ihould
be fufpicious of the common vitriol of iron, and
fhould look upon it as a fecret corroding acid \ yet
let him not think the fame of the vitnolum martis
in our water, for according to the fixth pofition,
the alcali predominates in the water, fo that the
acid can never have any corroding effeft, for as
foon as an acid particle is loofened from the iron,
it is prefently catch’d by the alcali , and fo clofely
united with it, that it is with difficulty difunited
again by the power of the fire.

From this uniting of the acid with the alcali ,
does our mineral water [alt proceed, as we pro-,
ved under the fourth pofition, and have com¬
pared it cum tartaro vitriolato , and particularly
cum fale mirabili glauberi , and th sEnglifb purging
fait .

What excellent virtues, fure and gentle ef¬
fects, fuch [alia media have, which are form¬
ed of an acid vitriol, and an alcali, we are in¬
form’d of by daily experience, we may alfo learn
from the lofty titles given them, when they are

called

[ 44 1

called ' folia polychrefta arcanum duplicatum &o
Thefe’ J alts thin and diffolve all / Time , hardnefs
and ob/iructions in the ftomacb , bowels, fpleen,
liver and other glandulous parts ; they are reck¬
oned the beft medicines in fevers, cure all forts of
agues, and are very fuccesfully joined cum bezoar -
diets fixis in hot fevers; are very effectual in
fwellings, dropfies , &c. are firong diureticks , and
cleanfe the kidnies and bladder from gravel,
fand, &c. all which properties are well known ;
and thefe artificial falls are fo gentle, that not on¬
ly may one with fafety take large dofes of them,
but may continue to take them for many days
fuccefftvely, without occafioning any gripings or
uneafinefs ; of this nature is the fait of our wat¬
er, as we have proved under the 4th head, fo
that there is no reafon to fear any corrofion, for
as much as in one pound of water, there is not
above feven or eight grains, and even that mixed
and furrounded with a predominating alcaline earth.

We come now to confider the feel or iron ,
which we find in our medicinal waters, and as
iron in common life is the moft ufeful of all me¬
tals, fo it has had hitherto the pre-eminence, over
all other metals in phyfick, and of it are prepar¬
ed the fafeft, fureft, and moft ufual medicines,
yea the filings of red Iron are often preferibed and
taken to very good purpofe.

The principal medicinal effect of iron in hu¬
man bodies, is that it ftrengthens and gently con¬
trails all the bowels, in long illneffes the fibres
of all the inward parts are much weakned and
relaxed, and by virtue of the julphureous , dryed
ferruginous earth , they recover their natural
ftrength and firmnefs, and by the motion of it’s
parts 'all fiimy tartarous obftru&ions, if not too
much hardned, are prelled out of the feveral canals

C 45 ]

of the body ; for which reafons, the fleet or iron
water produces fo excellent effeCts in malo hypo -
chondriaco , morbis mat rich, defefts of digeftion and
all obftru&igns whatfoever. The lefs iron there
is in any mineral water, the fooner may the bow¬
els buffer injury by the ufe of the fame, by open¬
ing and relaxing them too much, and the fibres of
the nerves are thereby greatly weakned, but no¬
thing like this can happen in the ufe of the Pyrmont
waters, which abound fo much in iron, in which
thing no waters can come up to them, fo that
their virtues muft be greater, and their ufe more
fafe.

The difference that there is between a rich
fteel water , and a water that has little or no iron
in it, is very remarkable in the Pyrmont waters,
for the longer you let them ftand, till the iron fe-
parates itfelf from them, the more do they purge,
which every body experiences, that drinks them
at home and at a great diftance from the wells, (for
fometimes by warm weather, the water isvery much
altered in it’s mixture, and the greateft part of the
iron fixes itfelf on the glafs or earthen veffels) and
we hear them often fay that the waters have
more effect upon them at home than at the wells,
and this efteCt they reckon by the frequent purg¬
ing. But what advantage is there, tho’ the body
be never fo well cleanfed by the falts and the wa¬
ter, if at the fame time the bowels do not recover
their due ftrength, firmnefs and contracting moti¬
on ? for when this is not the cafe, the hurtful
humours do often gather again in the weak and
flippery bowels as foon as they are expelled, fo
that the benefit fuch patients reap by the water is
very fmall. There is one queftion relating to the
iron or fleet yet remaining, viz. whether the ft eel in
the water performs it's effect as a vitriol, or as a era-

[4<n

tus martls . It has been demonftrated in the pre¬
ceding chapter, that the water when expofed to
the open air, and particularly by heat, as in the
ftomach and bowels, by degrees lofes, and lets
fall all its vitriol qualities, and therein mixes it*
jfelf with all kind of acid bitter andgrojs earthy mat¬
ter , and especially the fat earthy particles cleave
to the vitriol of iron, overcomes the fame, and
thereby forms a black ink colour, which we fee
by the excrements of fuch as ufe the fteel waters.
The water leaves or throws off all its v it nolick qua*
hues in primis viis, and fuppofe fome fteel fhould be
carry’d into the blood with the other contents of
the water, yet it operates rather as a fubtile cro¬
cus of iron, by ftrengthning the relaxed folid
parts, than by any prevailing vitriolick qualities
proves hurtful to the nerves, as fome authors ima¬
gine ; but particularly the predominating fubtile
alcaline earth , (which is the fifth ingredient we are
to confider the effedls ofj does hinder both the
acid and the virtiol of the waters to have any bad
effeft, as has been already proved ; every nurfe
knows what effect fubtile alcaline earth produces
in our bodies, and there are very few recipes for
powder wherein we do not fee crabs eyes, oyfter
fhells, mother of pearl, &c.

And that the ale ah in our fteel water is fuch a
fubtile earth , and of the delicate fineft fort, which
is difolved in cryftal clear water, we have al¬
ready proved in the preceding chap, and it muff
have this fame effeft, and even greater, viz. to
correct and attract to itfelf the fuperfluous acid-bit¬
ter and f aline fbarpnefs in the ftomach and bowels,
which afterwards, is convey'd out of the body
by the cleanfing virtue of the water.

Finally, there remains the taftelefs cryftal fulfance
of the water, and we muft confider if this has any

medicinal

C47l

medicinal virtues. We have already obferved, that
this tranfparent cryftal is nothing, but a pure
felenites [tone. This ftone is a foft tender earth,
which does not grit between the teeth, and it
may eafily be rubbed into a fmall^imperceptib le^
powder. 1

If neither the powder of crude nor calcined fe¬
lenites will make any effervefcence with acid
things, it is alfo well known to be the cafe, both
of prepared mountain cryftal, and of many preci¬
ous and other ftones, (lapidihus pretiofis & minus
pretiofis ,) which neverthelefs are in great reputati¬
on with the beft pra&itioners, for their medici¬
nal virtues, efpecially the prepared mountain
cryftal, which is found exceeding beneficial to
both old and young, againft fuper abounding,
lharp corrofive gall , in loofneffes , fluxes , ftone in the
kidneys , palfies, fluore albo , &c. and is often given to
nurfes to increafe their milk.

Tho5 the materia felenitica is not fo hard and
firm, yet in other things it may well be compared
with the fubftance of the mountain cryftal , and upon
the account of its tendernefs and foftnefs appears to
I have more free entry into, and greater effe&s upon
i the humours of the body, and accordingly in my
| pra&ice I have often made ufe of, not only the
e cryftaline matter, but alfo of a pure felenites f tone ;
i in fuch cafes in which the mountain cryftal is re-
; commended, and that both by themfelves and
! mixed with other things, and always they have
j effefium precipitantem.

Moreover the lapis felenites is not only made
ufe of, tor mechanical and external things, as
paint for ladies, &c. but fome very experienced
phyficians have made ufe of it as an excellent
antifpafmodicum againft the Epilepfie. paroxyfms of
the ague and the Be, '

Thefe

[ 48 ]

Thefe are the properties, virtues and effedts of
all the ingredients which constitute the mineral con -
tents of our water, and where the hurtful corro-
five qualities lye,, or what ingredient does corrode,
is impoffible to be difcovered; on the contrary
every one acquainted with the materia medica will
confefs,

Fir ft. That the Pyrmont waters, according to the
proven virtues of the feveral parts of their mineral
contents, deferve rather to be called fweet than
acid.

idly. That every Day falts and other things are
prescribed to the weakeft fick people, and fuch as
are affedted with inward diftempers, which are
fharper and more griping than the contents of
our waters, and confequently all frivolous pre¬
tences about the fharpnefs and great ftrength of
the water, &c. proceeding partly from envy,
and partly from ignorance, do now fall to the
ground. We muft now confider further how the
ifefh Pyrmont waters, with their united mineral
contents, do operate in our body, and what are
the effedis that men commonly experience by
them. The moft obvious and belt known opera¬
tion of the waters, when drank in due meafure
is, that they greatly increafe all the natural eva¬
cuations and ejections performed by the feveral or¬
gans of fecretion and cleaning of the whole body.

With fome perfons the water occafions a ftrong
falivation, which continues for fome days, and
carries off a great deal of phlegm or flime,
through the glands of the mouth, throat and
, wind pipe ; it affedfs the ftomach alfo, and
caufes vomiting, and thereby a great deal of filth
is thrown out. It alfo carries off by ftool the
grofs humours lodged in the bowels, this fre¬
quently lafts for fome days and occafions a very

fenfiblg

* C 49 ]

fenfible heat in the body. But for the moft part
it paffes through the kidneys and bladder, and
many perfons do daily make more water, or at
leaft as much as they drink. It occafions a fweat
over the whole body, and even to fuch as fweat
with great difficulty, or complain that for fome
years, they have never been able to fweat regu¬
larly j and when the humours are very fait and
full of gall, it occafions an out-breaking over the
whole fkin, which ordinarily is foon gone, or is
removed by bathing at the end of the cure.
The ordinary bloody fluxes both in men and wo¬
men, which are attended with fuch bad confe-
quences, are cured by the waters in a more fafe
and fure manner, than by any other known
method whatfoever.

Thefe feveral cleanfings of the body are carried
on in fo gentle a manner, if men proceed regular¬
ly, that no medicine is to be compared to it, and
altho* fome have reprefented it as too ftrong, yet
all that have draftk it regularly, know the con¬
trary by experience.

And not only does it vifibly produce the fore-
faid effeCts, but according to the parts of its mi¬
neral contents, it muft alfo produce thefe follow¬
ing effe6ts requifite for reftoring of health, viz. it
corrects the faline bitter and fharp humours of the
ftomach and bowels, alfo changes and fvveetens
the whole mafs of humours, and it diffolves, at¬
tenuates and feparates, ail obftruCtions of the
lungs, kidneys and fmall vefifels of the body, and
carries off ail kind of impurities through the fe¬
veral excretories.

And as it is very common in broken conftitu-
tions and weak bodies, tho’ ever fo well cleared
of all hurtful humours and obftruCtions, yet they
eafily breed and grow again. But by the ufe of

E the

C 5o 3

the waters the tone and elafticity of the folid parts
and fibres is, by means of the fulpbureous balfamtck
ferruginous earth contained in them, reltored and
ftrengthned, and thereby all new gathering of
hurtful matter and juices in any parts of the body
prevented and hindered j fo that all thefe things
confidered, it is evident, that when among all
the means of recovering health, any one lhall be
found deferving the name of a pauac d a, i t . mult
certainly be the mineral waters, and according to
the forementioned circumftances, the Pyrmont wa¬
ter muft be one of the beft. And particularly,
God has provided the mineral water as a Angular
remedy againft all chronical diftempers (except a
very few) provided they be not too much rooted
and inveterate ; and in the opinion of the learned-
eft and moft expert praftitioners they are the laft
afylum, after men have gone over all the predica¬
ment a remediorum to no purpofe.

So that it is abundantly evident by innumerable
inftances, that it has a wonderful effeft in mani¬
fold diftempers, to which human nature is liable,
as thofe of the head , apoplexies, delirium, lofs of
fleep, and all defers of the outward fenfes, all
difeafes of the breaft, and ailings of the lungs, by
fweetning thelharp faline humours, tepmeating
the boiling heat of the blood, and ftrengthmng
the parts by its contrafting, healing and balfa-
mick virtue ; and here it is to be obferved, that in
difeafes of the breaft, it muft not be drank cold
but lukewarm, otherwife by its coldnefs it may
prove hurtful. It is alfo good againft all difor-
ders of the ftomach, lofs of appetite, defeils in the
digeftion, palpitations of the heart, &c- _

And in the bow els, againft all pituitous, fla¬
tulent and bilious cholicks, deftroys and carries off
%U worms, when all other means fail, and alfo

in

[ 5i ]

in paralytick diforders, convulfions and cramps*
fcorbutick eruptions and fpots, fwellines and
gouts, &c.

It attenuates, feparates and fweetens the thick
vifcous ftiarp and bitter blood, cures both the be¬
ginning and remains of the lues venerea , f curvy, ,
cachaxies, &c.

And in women it cures all obftrudlions of the
menfes , green-ficknefs and de color at'i ones menfium ,
relaxations of the matrix , and parts belonging to
it, iarrennefs , &c, I could confirm all this by
manifold examples, and thereby compofe a
compleat courfe of medicinal hiftory and cures
performed by the Pyrmont waters, which would
give great light to pra&ice, with refpeft to
mineral waters, but muft delay it till another
opportunity.

CHAP. IV.

Of the way and manner of drinking the Pyrmont wa¬
ters, fo as to profit thereby , both with refpeft to the
feafon , preparation , quantity , order, cold , or heat ,
continuation , diet , medicines , according to the dif¬
ference of age , fex and conftitution , how to ob¬
viate and prevent accidents and obftacles during the
cure , and laftly , concerning the effects oj the water
after the patient has left off drinking*

Hitherto we have given an account of the vir¬
tues and effects of the waters for recovering
| the health, and now we lhall lay down certain
rules which are to be obferved in the ufe of them,
in order to attain fo excellent an end ; and fo
much the more neceifary it is to do this, becaufe
experience teaches us, that not only the mean

E 2 fos

C 52 3

for recovering of health, hut even our natural
nourifhment, if not made ufe of in due meafure
and order, does more hurt than good, and inftead
of helping, does really deftroy the body.

The firft thing to be confider’d is the feafon ; we
have already obferv’d that our waters have a like
virtue in all times and changes of the weather,
fo that at all times of the year, when it is judged
fit by a skilful phyfician for the patient, weaned
with other medicines, the waters may very fafely
be ufed ; for there is no month in the year where¬
in we cannot Ihow, that the waters have had
the defired effect ; but feeing the waters are moft-
ly drank cold, and the cure is in itfelf rather
temperate and cold, than hot, fo it may eafily
be obferved that the months of May, June, July
and Auguft, are the moft convenient ; for in this
feafon there is better opportunity for motion and
exercife of the body in the open air, and taking
fuch diverfions as are very neceffary during the
cure.

As for fuch as cannot drink the waters at the
wells, it is to be obferved, that it is beft for them
to drink them in the months of March , April and
May, before the heats come on ; for the waters be¬
ing then carried to very diftant places, are heated
upon the road in the day time, and cooled again in
the night, whereby their fpirituoufnefs is very
much abated, and the fteel particles thrown up¬
on the fides of the veffels wherein the water is
contained, which does not happen when the wa¬
ter is drawn and carried away in cool weather,
and afterwards put into cool cellars till it be ufed.

Some phylicians are for beginning to drink the
waters a week, or three or four days before the
full moon, that fo they may have done by the
end of the moon, when the humours of the bo¬
dy

[ 53 ]

dy are more eafily purged away ; bu t as no body
can know before-hand how long they muft con¬
tinue the cure, which depends upon the effe£l th e
waters have, therefore this method feems to have
very little in it.

The moft proper time of the day is the morn¬
ing-, fafting , after the body has been ftrengthened
and refrefhed by reft ; for then the feveral excreti¬
ons occaiioned by the waters are beft performed ;
and it is beft to wait till the fun has difpelled the
moifture of the night, and warm’d the air a lit¬
tle, before you begin ; and it feems beft to get up
about five a clock, and before fix, or there-about,
the moifture upon the body occafioned by the bed
will be moftly over, and t iiC n from fix to eight is
the moft convenient time, even for fuch as take
the largeft dofe ; and in four hours, viz. from
eight to twelve, which is the ufual hour for din¬
ner at the wells, the waters have their greateft
effeft, provided they pafs tolerably well. When
you begin too early, you are in danger of fuffer-
ing by the cold, and by waiting too long for din¬
ner after you have done drinking, the appetite
becomes too ftrong.

It has been an old cuftom about four of the
clock in the afternoon, after the digeftion is finifh-
ed, and the ftomach difburdened, to drink fome
glades of the waters ; but this is no neceffary part
of the cure, though it may be done if one be
thirfty, and has a defire to it ; but to drink as
much in the afternoon as in the morning, as
fome have done, is certainly very hurtful ; for it
is contrary to all reafon, when nature is employed
to prepare and diftribute the nourilhment for the
preferving and ftrengthening of the body, then
to divert it from its work, and put it upon excre¬
tions and evacuations.

E 3 *zdly3

[ 54 3

<2dly7 We muft confider the preparations for the
cure. They that are ufed to let blood about the
time of the Equinox, ought not to omit it, if
they defign foon after to make ufe of the waters,
and it is very proper for fuch as have much
blood and very hot; and experience teaches us,
that it is beft for moft patients to do it fome time
before they begin, confidering that the ftomach
and other internal parts, after letting of blood,
are with many for fome time more tender and
weak, and fo more eafily hurt by the coldnefs
of the waters; and confidering that fome are
more liable to evacuations, by which nature is
foon exhaufted, it is beft not to fatigue one’s felf
too much, and fuch as come long journies to
drink the waters, ought to reft themfelves a day
or two before they begin.

Purging before you begin to drink the waters,
which was looked upon as fo neceffary by all the
ancient phyficians, is now reje&ed by fome of the
modern, as hurtful or ufelefs. It is very ftrange
that both parties make ufe of fuch general terms
without any difference, feeing the conftitution
and ftate of the body, as alfo difeafes, with their
feveral circumftances and accidents, are fo diffe¬
rent, that no rule here can be fo general as not to
have its exceptions. Sometimes the ftomach, the
bowels, &c. are fo filled up and ftopt with gluti¬
nous dime, which the water, being a gentle clean-
fer, cannot fo foon remove out of the way ; fo
that it is much hindered thereby in its free opera¬
tion ; and fometimes patients a little before have
been . purged and vomited, and there is no fufpi-
cion of any filth in the prim# vi# ; fo that they
have no occafion to be purged again ; thefe others
may be prepared for drinking thewaters by fimple
digeftives, or opening falts ; but where ftronger

par -

[ 55 ]

purgantia are neceffary in forma pilulad puW infus 5
potionhy elixir is, &c. without which the waters
will not pafs freely. It is the phyficians bufinefs
to judge what is fit to be done, and to determine
according to circumftances, and not tanquam ex*
tripode to treat every body alike.

3 dljy As to the meafure it cannot be intirely de¬
termin’d, how much every body ought to drink,
but according to every body’s confiStution, diftem-

Eer and the working of the waters, the dofe is to
e meafured, for with fome, they operate but
flowly, with others prefently ; 3, 4, y, 6, pound
has been found fufficient, and to operate both by
ftool and urine, and I never allow the ftrongeft
to drink above 8 pound. The firft receive into
their body about one fourth of an ounce of the
mineral, and the others in proportion, which is
enough for a dofe, and this far exceeds what Dr.
Slave allows in his treatife, ch. 6. § 13. And in
England ufually, they don’t drink above 3 pound,
which is about a flalk; we are not againft fmall
dofes here, nor do we approve of it when weak¬
ly perfons drink too much ; but daily experience
Ihows here at the wells, that moft of the water
drinkers, drink with good appetite between y
and 6 pound, and find no inconveniency by it,
but very good effe&s, when they do it with cau¬
tion, and obferve our rules. On the contrary, the
water gives greater uneafinefs when drank in
fmall quantity, and it is with it as with other
evacuating medicines when not taken in fufficient
quantity, which move, but do not carry off, confer
quently nature is not lightened, but more burden¬
ed thereby; this is the caufe why we keep to a
middle portion in the annexed meafure and dofe,

t

In what order any one of thefe meafures and
quantities are to be drank, may be known by the
following rules.

i/7, The glaffes ought not to be bigger, than to

hold one fourth of a pound.

idly, Such as are of middle age, and have
ftrong bowels, may drink every quarter of an
hour 3 or 4 fuch glaffes one after another.

3 dly. Such as have not fufficient internal heat,
and find a fenfible uneafinefs from the coldnefs of
the water, may drink two fuch glaffes every half
quarter of an hour, or only one half pound at a
time, that fo the bowels may be able to warm the

cold water. , r „

4 Ithy, Tho’ the faid glafsmeafure be but fmall,

yet it ought not to be drank at one breath or
draught, but by degrees, for thereby the water
loofes fomewhat of its coldnefs in the mouth, and
fuch as fear that it loofes its fpirit, when they drink
it (lowly, know not what the mineral fpirit is.

ytbly. In this manner one may drink the firft
morning between 2 or 3 pound, the 2d between
4 and y, and the 3 d morning 6 pound, and fo cop
tinue as many days one after another, as the cir-
cumftances and confequent effects (hew that it is
proper.

6tbly , One is not tyed down fo intirely to this
method and order, as not to dare in one morning,
to drink two glaffes more, and in another two
glaffes lefs ; but every body is herein to regulate
himfelf, according to his appetite, and according
as it works.

'ythly , Camion in leaving off by degrees, is not
fo neceffary as when you begin, for the bowels
cannot then fuffer fo great an alteration by leav¬
ing off water, as they did when the faffing fto*
mach was unaccuftomed to the cold regimen,

%tbly%

C 57 1

8 tHy, Such as drink it warm, may without
danger drink larger glaffes and fafter, yet muft
not exceed meafure and number; and the way to
warm it, is to put the water frefh out of the well
into a glafs bottle or earthen velfel, and after
ftoping it well with a cork, to put it into a ket¬
tle full of warm water, till fuch time' as it lofe its
great coldnefs, and according to the conftitution
and diftemper, even till it be milk warm. When
the waters are drank warm at the wells, they don’t
lofe fo much of their fpirit, as when they are car¬
ried far from the wells, as experience Ihews.

For fir ft, the red fteel earth does not fix itfelf
upon the fides of the veffel wherein it is warmed,
as it does upon thofe wherein it is carried to a
great diftance.

And fecondly , the waters by gall thrown into
them, become as black when they are warm, as
when they are cold, which does not happen when
the waters have intirely loft their fpirits ; and in¬
deed the waters are fo full of fpirits, that a fmall
iofs of them is not difcernable, fo that after be*
ing warm’d, they have all the fame effe6f s as when
cold; moreover we know by experience, that
fuch perfons as have not been able to drink them
cold, have by warming them had all the fuccefs
they could defire.

The next thing to be confidered is, how long
the waters are to be drank ; we cannot fix upon
any certain number of days, but every one muft
govern himfelf according to the nature of his dif¬
temper, and the effeft of the waters ; fome finifh
thecureinio, is, 14, days, others cannot leave
them off without damage, till they have drank
them 3 or 4 Weeks ; and we have an inftance of
drinking them every day for 3 months, and alfo of
repeating the cure twice in the year at leaft, with

C 58 3

great advantage to health : neverthelefs the fol¬
lowing rules with refpect to the continuation
and length of the cure are to be obferved.

iftj The beft and fafeft way is, not to drink too
much at a time, left thereby you do violence to
nature \ but rather to continue the cure 3 or 4
Weeks longer.

idly, You may begin to drink the waters for a
little while in the month of May, and afterwards
proceed in the month of July and Augufi.

•gdly, When the waters agree perfe&ly well
with you at firft, and fo continue, if the diftemper
is not inveterate and deeply rooted, the cure may
be finifhed in 14 or 16 days.

4 thly, If the Waters begin only to pafs very
well, after you have ufed them 8 or 14 days, as it
happens with many people, it is eafy to obferve,
that it is neceffary to continue to drink them lon¬
ger, till the obftruftions be fufficiently removed,
and the body thoroughly cleanfed.

ythly , How many years, one after another, it
is neceffary to repeat the cure, every one will be
able to judge for himfelf, by confidering the ftate
of his own health in the after part of the year ;
but we have many examples that the 1 ft and id
year the waters made no alteration in the dif¬
temper, neverthelefs the third or fourth the pati¬
ents were perfectly cured.

6thly , Such as have been accuftomed to drink
the waters feveral years, cannot without injury to
their health leave them off, for at the return of the
feafon of the year they feel their old diftempers
again, which never leave them till they return to
their ufual cure. But it is not neceffary to confine
one’s felf to drink the waters every year, but they
may forbear till fuch time as they feel fome fymp^
toms of their diftempers, neither have they, that

drink

E 59 3

drink them yearly, any reafon to fear that at length
nature will thereby be weakned and confumed be¬
fore its time ; feeing a great many perfons, and
fome yet living, have drank them 30 or 40 years
fucceffively, and fometimes twice a year, even af¬
ter they were feventy years old, and ftill with
good fuccefs.

7thly , It is without any foundation what fome
pretend, viz. that the clearnefs of the urine, and
the excrements not being any more of a black co¬
lour, is a fign that the patient ought to leave off
drinking the waters; but they ought to continue,
till fuch time as they find their bodies fenfibly eafed,
and remarkably altered and cleanfed ; when they
begin to grow weary, and to naufeate them, then
they, ought to leave off. And if any perfon is not
fatisfied with this advice, let him confult a phyfi-
cian what is fit to be done, all circumftances con-
fidered, that fo he may neither have too much
nor too little of a good thing.

The next thing to be confidered is the dyet,
which by the antients was called the life wAfoul of
all cures, and without it our waters fignify but
very little. Dyet confifts, not only in eating and
drinking in a regular way fuch things as are
wholfome, but it comprehends alfo the ftate and
condition of the air , motion and reft, cleanfing of the
body, fleeping and waking, and alfo the exercife
of the mind.

As to eating there is no reafon to confine one’s
felf fo much as fome phyficians pretend, who will
not allow their patients, while drinking the wa-
j ters? t0 eat any garden herbs, and other harmlefs
things ; but what is chiefly to be avoided is hard,
heavy, fharp, acid, fait, high-feafoned viduals,
all too new ill baken bread, greafy cakes and
baked meat, peafe and beans, bacon and pork,

old

[ 60 ]

old and tough meat of whatever fort, either frefh,
pickled, or dried in the fmoak, all glutinous and
Pi my parts of animals, as calves heads and feet,
brains, liver, fait and dried fifth, all flimy and vif-
cous fifties, fuch as, old pikes, tench, eels, &V.
all raw fruit, melons, cucumbers, mufthrooms and
falads, whereby the bowels are filled with flime,
relaxed and cooled, which occafion hurtful loof-
neffes, cholicks, &c. But there are a great many
things in kitchen gardens, which may not only
be eaten with fafety, when young, tender .and
well done, but are very proper and fit nouriflh-
ment for fuch as drink the waters, for they gent¬
ly open the body, and fo promote that which the
waters, generally fpeaking, do occafion to moft
patients; but we except fuch perfons as either
have an averfion to garden fluff, or feel any un-
eafinefs after eating it.

As to milkdyet , we will by no means advife
it, feeing there are many who do not agree with
it, even when they are not drinking the waters,
and it might, in the mean time, difpofe them to
loofneffes, but that it is fo dangerous and hurt¬
ful as fome phyficians would make it, as if the
acidity of the water did curdle the milk, is both
falfe, and without any foundation, for we have
proved that the waters by their predominant ah
caline earth rather hinder than occafion the curd¬
ling of the milk ; and as it is ufual to prepare the
body for a milk dyet by alcalis, -fo I have found
by experience both from myfelf and others, that a
milk dyet agrees better with one rather after the
cure than before it, and even during the cure, by
many inftances I have found it to be harmlefs and
innocent, and very lately a hypocondriacal perfon
of a very weak conflitution, who lodged in my

houfe, did for 4 weeks every evening fup upon

fweet

[ 6 1 ]

fweet milk and bread, and next morning drank
4 pound of Pyrmont water, which had fo good
effect, that he^was happily cured of his diftemper.

It is not fit to dine till 4 hours after having done
drinking, fo that they who drink from 6 to 8,
ought to dine at 12, and they that drink from 7
to 9, at 1 o’clock, and tho’ the waters fhould pafs
in 2 or 3 hours or fooner, yet it is beft to let it be
full 4 hours before eating, and to eat nothing at
all before dinner, that fo the waters may work
without any difturbance.

The patient may eat heartily at dinner, provid¬
ing he don’t eat too faft, and chew it well, for
commonly the waters fharpen the appetite, fo
that many eat too faft, and their viduals not* being
fufficiently mafticated, do often occafion indigesti¬
ons, and Several other inconveniences, and as va¬
riety of difhes tempt to eat too much, and fo
over load the ftomach, it is better to choofe one
good difh, that fo too much eating may not delay
or hinder the cure.

Supper muft not be too late, not after feven
o’clock, a fmall foope and a little boiled meat,
which is better than roafted, it muft be fomething
that is eafily digefted*

People of diftindion are frequently too negli¬
gent with refped to this article ; for as they usu¬
ally frequent balls and other diverfions, they can¬
not leave them off while they drink the waters ;
they fup at 9, 10, or 11 a dock, when by pro¬
trading the time of fupper, and motion of the bo¬
dy, their appetite is fharpened, and they eat more
at fupper than dinner, and prefently after go to
bed ; fo that they have a reftlefs night, and in
the morning, which is the fitteft time for the wa¬
ters, their body is quite tired, and their ftomach
full of crudities.

As

[ 62 ]

As to drink, it is beft for every body to make
ufe of that they are moft accuftom’d to, and which
agrees beft with them ; and if they make ufe of
beer, it ought to be good and frefh, neither too
new, nor too old, but well boiled, clear and
brisk.

It is a grofs miftake to think that the waters
weaken the ftomach, therefore it is neceffary to
ftrengthen it with wine, for on the contrary the
Pyrmont water fortifies the ftomach, as experience
fhews, for many, who having entirely loft their
ftomach, through long loofneffes, lienteries ,
have perfe&ly recovered it by the ufe of the wa¬
ters, and fitch as with any reafon complain of
weaknefs of ftomach after the cure, owe it whol¬
ly to themfelves, having either by a diforderly
diet, drinking the water cold, or too much at a
time, brought it upon themfelves. However, a
glafs of good wine at meal-time taken moderate¬
ly is of great fervice during the cure, for thereby
the ftomach is warmed and fortify’d, the dige-
ftion forwarded, and by its diuretick virtue the
remainder of the water carried off, good rhentjh
wine, neither too acid, nor too ftrong, is beft, for
old ftrong rhenifh wine ought rather to be taken
as a medicine in fmall quantity than otherwife ;
good French wine is alfo of great fervice, and in¬
deed the choice of the wine ought to be left to
every body’s liking, only wines that are ftrong
and apt to heat the body, are to be made ufe of
as cordials, and fmall wines are moft proper to
quench the thirft.

If one be thirfty about an hour or more after
eating, a difh of tea or coffee can do no hurt,
providing one don’t drink too much of it, and
thereby relax the bowels too much; and I don’t
think it advifable to drink Pyrmont water at meals*

ox

t ]

or to mix it with wine* tho’ the inhabitants there¬
about are accuftomed to drink it without any in-
conveniency, but to fuch as are not ufed to it, it
muft prove hurtful, for it carries the vi&uals too
foon out of the ftomach, which is very prejudi¬
cial.

The next thing to be confider’d, is the aifand
the weather , and tho’ thefe are not in mens
power, as eating and drinking, yet they ought to
confider how their bodies are affe&ed thereby,
and as the air conftantly furrounds, and preffes
upon our bodies, the pores, and alfo the motion
of the liquids in the external parts of the body,
are much alter’d, changed, and infenfible per-
fpiration fometimes increafed,at other times much
leffen’d, or intirely taken away thereby ; and the
fever al changes of the weather oceafion various
changes in the body ; fo that the effefts of the
waters upon the fame perfon and difeafe, are not
always alike, but exceeding different and various.
Tho’ a temper ate, warm air is belt for drinking the
i waters, yet this not depending upon our choice, it
frequently happens, that we have a hurtful, cold
and moift air, as well in the Dog-days , as in the
| month of March , and if at fuch a time one is
either drinking the waters, or come to the wells
for that purpofe, he muft not wait for good wea-
j ther, but muft go on, and guard againft the bad
effefts both of wind and weather, the beft he
i can ; and the beft and fafeft way is, to warm the
t waters a little, as if it were in winter, and to
keep by a good fire, and in a large room, where
there is conveniency for walking. And as there
! are fome perfons very phlegmatick and weakly,
who cannot endure the cold, it may be proper
for them to drink it in bed, and a very little warm-
td} providing they don’t make a cuftom of it, but

after

• • ■ ■ V ' V ■

[ iii

after they get tip, to ufe fo milch the more trio*
tion ; but fuch as are robuft and of a hotter com
ftitution, and will notwithftanding the cold, drink
the waters at the wells, and fo enjoy a freer air,
they ought to cloath themfeves well, drink but
fmall giaffes at a time, and thereby prevent all
hurtful colds.

Very warm air, hot and fultry weather is very
inconvenient while one is drinking the waters, for
too much fweating delays and hinders their good
effe&s ; in fuch a feafon, it is beft not to negleft the
cool of the morning, and to frequent cool and

ftiady places. .

We come now to the motion and exercye oi the
body, which ought to be confidered as a necef-
fary part of the diet ; and here, care muft be ta¬
ken that the motion be not violent, and thereby
the blood be over-heated, and fo occafion immo¬
derate fweating ; but the motion muft be agree¬
able to the weather, according as it is hot or cold.

As to cleanfing the body, great care muft .be
taken, that it be kept open, and that the urine
come away plentifully. There are many cele¬
brated mineral waters that operate ftrongly by
urine, but open the body very little : on the con¬
trary, Pyrmont waters promote excretion both ways
in fuch a manner, that there are very few. in pro¬
portion, who have any reafon to complain, and
experience teaches how much it lightens the bo¬
dy, and of how great advantage it is, after the
waters work plentifully by urine, if they occafion
fome ltools alfo; and the beft Phylicians advife,
that when the waters themfelves have not this
effeft, it ought to be procured by fome relaxing
medicines, and, indeed, when this is neglected,
the confluences are very bad.

In

t «j ]

In thofe difeafes which have their feat in the
ftomach, bowels and other contiguous vifcera, the
working of the waters by ftool contributes much
to the cure ; but when the whole majj'a humo-
rum wants to be altered, thinned and fweetned,and
the kidnies and bladder cleared of land and dime
or the lungs and other vifcera freed from obltruc'li-
ons and filperfiuous fharp humours, the nerves
ftrengthned and opened, and alfo the difeafes of
the external and folid parts removed, in fuch cafes
the working by urine is preferable, for whatever '
palfes by urine, muft by the circulation of the
blood, be carried through all the parts of the bo¬
dy, feeing we know no other way it can come at
the kidnies and bladder, fo that the mineral wa¬
ters muft carry their medicinal properties through
the body, and by mixing with the feveral hu¬
mours and touching every part produce their
effedt.

As to {mating it is a very common and bene-
| ucial excretion during the water cure, for there¬
by a gi eat deal of what is hurtful to the body is
carried olf. But fweating in the morning while
you drink tne waters, if they have not begun to
pafs either by urine or ftool, muft by all means
! be moderated or intirely prevented, for thereby
the waters are by the blood carried too much to-
1 wards the external parts of the body, which hin-
i ders them to be carried off either by ftool or urine
i which muft neceffarily give great uneafmefs to’
i the body, and this is the reafon why fuch as per-
! fyire ftrongly, and are liable to much fweating,

I always find that the waters work beft with them,
as they call it, when the weather is pretty cool ;
for then their pores are more lhut, and the moif-
tUre or humours of the body are more prefs’d to-
i wards the inward parts.

F

I -

Sweating

C ^ ]

Sweating after the waters are gone off by urine-
and ftool, and upon moderate motion, is very
wholefome and beneficial ; but when one begins
the cure, it ought to be prevented as much as can
be in the night-time, and fuch as are fubjeft to
it, ought to put on warm cloaths as foon as they
can in the Morning, and not expofe themfelves
too foon to the cold morning air, but walk for
fome time in their chambers, till it be entirely
over.

The beft time to fleep during the cure is from
nine or ten at night, to 4 ot 5 ^ clock in the
morning, and they take belt care of their health,
who after fupping at 7 a clock, do walk a little,
and then go to bed by times, without any regard
to company or diverfion ; for hereby they will pro¬
cure quiet fleep, and greatly forward their cure.

Sleeping in the middle of the day, about which
fo much has been faid pro and con\ may be eafily
prevented, by eating moderately, and not over-bur¬
dening the ftomach, drinking but little wine,
keeping in company, and not fitting ftill, & c.

The exercife of the mind ought alfo to be con-
fider’d ; for upon the temper of the mind the cure
very much depends ; wherefore it is necefiary to
guard againfi: all envy , jealoufy , anger , and other
hurtful paflions, and to ufe all endeavours to be
of a contented , chearful jpirit.

As to phyfick during the cure, it mull confift
of few choice things, "for the Pyrmont waters con¬
tain in themfelves feveral rich medicinal ingredi¬
ents, and fo need lefs afliftance from other medi¬
cines. The ancient well - phyficians have made
long regifters of remedies, that the water-drink¬
ers ought to make ufe of according to them ; artd
indeed a patient that muft go through the feveral
clafles of the materia medica may well be terrify’d ;

fome

[ 6; ]

forrie of the moderns reject all phyfick during the
cure, and commonly human underftanding falls
from one extream to another. It would be too
tedious and by no means neceffary to prefcribe
here for the feveral difeafes we have mentioned,
only we propofe it to the confideration of practi¬
tioners, and refer it to the experience of every
one, viz. *7 hat in the cure of many diftempers the
waters give effectual help and e/fijiance to ether reme¬
dies.

As to the common and ordinary medicines
which patients make ufe of when they drink the
waters j we have faid fomething already relating
to the preparation of the body ; during the cure,
relaxing medicines, and fuch as ftrengthen the
ftomach are moft ufed, and amongft thofe that
are relaxing, the opening and mollifying /alts
have the preference in the prefent practice, fuch
as tartarus vitriolatus , fal polychreflum , cremor tar-
tart , fal anglkanum catharticum , fal mirahle glauberi,
&c. and feeing fuch -like falts agree with the na¬
tural falts of the water, it is reafonable, when
the waters do not operate either by urine or ftoo),
to forward them by fuch falts, and we know by
experience, when they are well prepared, they
neither heat nor gripe, but pafs with the water,
either by urine or ftool, and when it is neceffary,
they may be frequently repeated.

It would be belt indeed to make ufe of the
Pyrmont water's own fait , but there being only 7
grains in a pound of water, and the charge and
trouble of preparing it being great, the fall; that
comes neareft to it in it's properties will anfwer
the end ; one kind of fait agrees with one, and
another with another, and indeed few patients
have any occafion for them, the water’s own fait
and virtues being fufficiant. Other purgatives

F 2 aiie

t 63 ]

are not to be reje&ed, and whereas both the wa*
ters and falts work fometimes only as digeftives
and mollify the peccant humours in primis viisy
&c. and make them moveable, fo that in a long
cure, a ftrong purging medicine may be very be¬
neficial and carry off intirely all filth, and not a
few patients are thereby much eafed, and their
cure goes on more fuccefsfully, and for thefe rea-
fons it is fafeft, and at the end of a cure, to take
a purging medicine, not too gentle, that thereby
all hurtful, (limy, obftru6ti.ng matter, foftned and
made moveable by the waters, may be carri-
ed off y and fuch a medicine may be given in any
form, as agrees beft with the patient, but what
they call night pills are beft and moft ferviceable, if
they be made of good refolvmt gumSy extracts
amaris and fuch like, and they may be fo prepar¬
ed, as after 6 or 7 hours fleep, to work gently
in the morning, and if they be taken in the be¬
ginning or middle of the cure, one may drink fome
water upon them in the morning without any
prejudice, but towards the end of the cure it is
beft to drink after the pills, fome tea or thin foope
in th*e morning.

As to ftomachicksy which during the cure are
ufually made ufe of before eating, it is not to pro¬
cure a good appetite, which without them is ge¬
nerally ftrong enough, but the chief reafon is,
that when the digefting juices of the ftomach are
too much carried off and leffened by the great quan¬
tity of water, or when the ftomach and the contigu¬
ous vifcera have buffered by the coldnefsof the wa¬
ter, and thereby indigeftion is occafioned, the gen¬
tle warming aromatick effences contribute to reftore
the faid juices to the ftomach, and the neceffary heat
to the bowels ; but thefe medicines muft be admi-
niftred according to the conftitution of patients.

[ 69 3

As to the difference of age ; we have already
fliewn that the Pyrmont waters are not to be rank’d
among the ftrong and rough medicines, but rather
among the fure and gentle ones, fo that neither
aged perfons nor children are to be excluded from
them, with this provifo, that children be not fo ten¬
der and young, as not to be capable of direction,
and being kept in order; and aged perfons not in-
tirely fpent and decay’d. When children are
above feven years old, and old perfons have fome
ftrength, other circumftances duly confider’d, we
have many inftances, that the water is neither too
ftrong nor too lharp for them, but may be of very
great benefit to them ; but they muft be very care¬
ful to obferve the prefcribed rules, particularly,
to drink little, flowly, and a little warm.

Some are of opinion that cold mineral waters
agree beft with men, and warm, beft with the female
fex, and this is neither without ground nor expe¬
rience, for feeing the female fex is more phleg-
matick, and lefs accuftomed to cold drink than
men, they generally fpeaking agree better with
warm, and buffer by cold drink. From this we
may conclude, that if the mineral water be a lit- %
tie warmed, it will agree as well with the female
fex, as what is naturally warm, and they ought
to take care to forbear drinking the waters 3 or 4
days during their menfes ; and fuch as are with
child would do better to have a little patience, or
if they cannot bear their indifpofitions fo long as
nine months, they ought to feek relief by other
means, which will not occafion fo great and fre¬
quent evacuations ; yet I have known fome La¬
dies of a delicate conftitution, that have drank
the Pyrmont waters for fome weeks after they were
with child, and received no hurt, but brought
fprth ftrong and healthful children, nor have I

F 3 knowa

[ 7° ]

known any inflance of mifcarriage occafioned
thereby ; yet I have obferved that moft of them
are troubled with naufeating and vomiting, and
with fome few, the waters have operated but
flowly and with much trouble, as if nature did
powerfully keep back and oppofe fuch evacuations,
wherefore in fuch circumftances, there is very
little to be done with drinking the waters.

Women that give fuck have frequently got
great benefit by the waters, and fucking children
have thereby been greatly relieved and happily
cured ; in the morning they ought to let the chil¬
dren fuck them dry before they begin to drink the
waters ; and about ten when the waters have done
working, they may let the children fuck a little,
or wait till noon. They muft take care that every
morning their bodies be kept open, and when the
waters don’t pafs freely, they muft take fome gen¬
tle things to make them pafs j for if this be not
done, it brings a great purging upon the children,
occafioned by the waters they fuck along with the
milk ; and the milk is rather increafed than db
minifhed by them.

As to different conftitutions, the waters agree
beft with [anguine and cholerick perfons , lor they
can bear drinking cold things, and the waters
drank in fmall quantity work well and quickly
with them, which is not fo with phlegmatick and
melancholy perfons, for they muft drink a greater
quantity or forward the working by falts, and it
is beft for them to drink them lukewarm.

When people drink the waters in a regular
manner, it feldom happens that any hurtful ac¬
cident prevents their going on with the cure, but
fometimes fuch circumftances happen which re¬
quire particular confideration, viz. Intire retention
of thp waters, vomiting, cojiivenefs , want of appe¬
tite ,

[ 7* 3

t\te, retention of wine, hojenefs , Mich , forenep
and heat in the inteftinum return, itching and out-
breakings over the whole Skin, unujual drowji-
fiefs, reftlefs nights , giddmejs and head achs,o amps
in the calf of the leg and other members, /matt¬
ing pains and return of old ailings . . .

The worft accident of all is the intire retention
of the waters; It is not hurtful for the fiilt and
fecond day, providing they don’t drink too much,
neither is it a fign that the waters will be ot no
fervice to them, it is ufual in this cate to take a
good puree to carry off the waters, and the fol¬
lowing days to take a little of the water’s own
fait in the firft glafs in the morning, or fome other
opening and diuretick fait, and then ufually every
thing goes on well; Eut when the waters never
pafs without daily repeating thefe things, it ns.
better to leave them oft and feek relief by other

medicines. ' _ . c 4,

Vomiting frequently is of great fervice, for there¬
by the ftomach is cleanfed from all kind ot tilth,
and commonly it continues but for i, 2 or 3 days,
if it continue longer and fo hinder the waters
from working otherways, it is b eft to flop it as
much as poffible, the patient muft drink but llow-
ly and little ; the vomiting leaves off with lome,
as foon as they begin to drink the waters a little
warm, and others fooner vomit with the. warm
than the cold water; when the vomiting proceeds
from a cold and weak ftomach they ought to make
life of good aromatick and bitter e [fences, and they
have beft effect if taken at night before they go to
fleep. Coftivenefs is frequently the greateft caule ot
naufeating and vomiting and of feveral other ac¬
cidents during the cure, wherefore it is belt to
guard againft it at firft, which is beft done by
eating a good deal of foops, wholefome garden

F 4 itun,

[ 72 ]

fluff, fome fruits, prunes, currants and fuch like*
and when the waters are warmed, 12 glaffes
frequently purge more than 24 cold, alfo purging
medicines prudently taken are very helpful, and
falts have frequently very good effefts this way,
and indeed are the beft both for gentlenefs and
fafety ; clyfters made of the mineral waters warm¬
ed, with other things belonging to them, are of
great fervice, if the patient be ufed to them, and
other circumftances allow of it.

Want of appetite feldom happens, feeing the
waters frequently give a good ftomach to fuch as
have loft it ; but when it happens, it ufually pro¬
ceeds from the body’s not being open enough, and as
foon as that is removed, the appetite returns ; there
are other caufes of lofs of appetite, which a good
phvfician will eafily judge of, and relieve by good
ftomachicks.

As to an intire retention of urine, hitherto I
have feen no inftance of it, altho’ I have had fe¬
ver al patients, both men and women under my
care, who confi dering all circumftances had rea-
fon to believe, that they had great ftones in their
bladders. When it happens to any perfon, either
from this or other caufes, if other helps fail, they
muff make ufe of a catheter, or when the meters
are flopped, they muft ufe gentle diureticks , an -
iifpasmodioa , &c. emollient clyfters. If there be
any fharpnefs or burning in the urine, it gene¬
rally proceeds from fand brought by it from the
kidnies, or half cured gonorrheas, or when faline,
bitter and fharp humours are carried off thereby,
if this ailing fhould either be too violent, or con¬
tinue too long, tho’ it generally goes off in few
days, it will be proper to take a good dofe ex
pulvere temper ante or frefh fweet oyl when you
go to bed, or in gonorrheas , to take the fpecific a am
tivenerea. When

C 73 ]

When little of the water paffes by urine but
tnoft of it by ftool, and thereby a great loofenefs
is like to enfue (tho’the Pyrmont waters by their
rich ingredients ufe rather to flop than to relax too
much) in that cafe it is beft to drink very flowly
that the waters may have time to fink through
the mefenterium, and commonly in this cafe
ftrong diuretick tinctures and bitter aromatick effences
are made ufe of, alfo when it is neceffary, gently
retentive , quieting and balfamick pills or electuaries
upon which the waters will operate as they ought’
1 have many examples of both men and women’
who after too great intimacies with one another’
have had great loofeneffes, belly aches, and cholicks’
and here ahftinence is the beft receipt. *

Cholicks during the time of drinking the waters
proceed, commonly from cooling the ftomach and
the bowels too much, wherefore they that are
fubjedt to them, ought to warm the water and
drink it flowly and in fmall glaffes. Eut when
Cholicks arife from flopping of the body, then it
is neceffary to open it by relaxing medicines. And
belly aches proceeding from flatus’s muft be re¬
moved by carminative effences and keeping the
body open. a

Sorehefs and heat of the mteftinum reftum is af-
cribed by many to the' fharpnefs of the waters
but if this were the caufe, it would grow worfe
every day, whereas the waters themfelves cure it
in 3 or 4 days, but it is the fharp gall, which
flicks here and there upon the guts, and which
is mollified and carried off by the waters which
occafions this forenefs and heat, if this continue
too long and make the patient very uneafy the
fureft way is to wafh himfelf with the mineral
i waters or to ufe the bath twice, and commonly
j wer this it is gone in a few days, and in fuch a

cafe

[74]

cafe anointing cum unguento populeonis de linqria ,
or with oleo , verbafci , hyperic and the like, has
good effeft .

Itching and Out-huakings upon the fkin, happen
to them that have fharp and fcorbutick blood, and
is an excellent effeft of the water, and never hurts
any body but prefently goes away, when the fu-
perfluous fharp humours are corre&ed and carried
off, the ufe of the bath towards the end of the
cure, clears the fkin of all naftinefs of this kind.

As to Drowfinefs , it is very common to moft

f>atients, from feveral caufes, viz. The fulphureous
pirituoufnefs of the waters, the early motion and
exercife of the body in the morning, eating hear¬
tily at dinner, and fometimes drinking too much,
and when the drowfinefs is more than ordinary
and altogether infupportable, it proceeds from
thick flimy blood, unfit for motion, whereby the
head and velfeis of the brain are over-charged,
and phlegmatick conftitutions are moft liable to
this indifpofition, but it goes off when the waters
begin to work thoroughly, the body alfo may
be freed of the load of iuch fuperfluous humours
by the ufe of proper pills.

Waking and reftlejs nights during the cure, do
foon over fatigue the patient 3 fanguine, cholerick
and melancholy perfons are moft fubjeft to thefe,
but it may be prevented by opening a vein and
letting a fufficient quantity of blood 3 and at night
before you go to bed, fome good cooling, quieting
foft medicines may be proper, but no opiates are
to be taken, for they will hinder the waters from
working.

Hot and dry conftitutions are moft fubjeft to gid*
dinefs and head aches during the water cure, but they
are commonly tolerable, or go off in a few days, and
they may be removed the fame way as reftleffnefs ;

fufr

MB

! : ; C 75 3 ; '

fufficient opening of the body, bathing the feet, and
the like, are very ferviceable in this cafe.

Cramps in the calf of the leg and other parts of
the body is not an uncommon effeft of the waters,
for it paffes through all the parts of the body ;
but thefe are feldom fo ftrong but they may be
born, and they may be eafed or removed by rub¬
bing the parts affe&ed with Anhalt water , fpirit of
wine and camphire , fpiritu formicarum and fuch like.

The returning of old pains in the folid parts,
and breaking out of old fores are particularly to
be remarked, and frequently happen during the
cure, and tho’ at firft they portend a great deal of
hurt and danger, yet daily experience teaches us
that they not only are very fupportable, but that
aperfe6tand lafting cure does ufually follow upon
the fame, and that ufually the more uneafy the
affe&ed parts are, the more reafon there is to ex-
pe6f fure help from the waters.

The remarkable ajter-effefis of the mineral waters,
of which fomuch has been faid,both by ancient and
modern phyficians, are alfo confirmed to us by expe¬
rience, viz. That patients, fome weeks and months
after they have done drinking the waters, reap the
greateft benefit and help thereby ; and are cured
of apoplexies , lamenefs , dimnefs of fight, deafnejs
and other diftempers, fometimes by degrees, and
fometimesallatonce, contrary to all men’s expec¬
tation. Much has been faid concerning the caufes
of fuch after-effects ; I account for them after the fol¬
lowing manner. It is confeffed that from the very
beginning of our formation, ( ah ipjo ovulo ) the
folid parts were formed and put together out of the
fluids , that afterwards, the folid parts are always
affefted by the fluids, and when thefe are any
manner of way infefbed or fpoiled, thofe by de¬
grees fuffer darqmage alfo 3 if the fluids are restored

to

N

[ 7<s ]

to a good ftate, the folid parts, if their intire tex¬
ture is not deftroyed, or if not fluffed with mat¬
ter that cannot be diffolved, are alfo brought into
a better ftate, and as they are not liable to fo
fudden alterations as the fluids are, fo they are
laft in receiving any help ; they are not fo foon
hurt by inward caufes as the fluids are, but when
they are once weakned or hurt, it is longer before
they areperfeftly reftored to their former funftion;
when the mineral waters work, they penetrate
through all the parts, prefs upon the weak and
obftru&ed parts, and thereby caufe an extenfion,
and a very fenfible pain and feeling of former
ailings, and during the cure there is no appear¬
ance of help, yea rather matters grow worfe;
but when the mineral waters have fully and _ duly
pafs’d through all the excretoria , all the juices
are by their excellent, cleanfing and fweetening
virtue brought into a good ftate ; when nature
has once received this affiftance. and is delivered
from the infupportable load of fuperfluous and
hurtful humours, fhe becomes afterwards her
own beft phyfician, and by means of the good
wholefome nutritive juices, fhe has recovered,
repairs by degrees, as far as poflible, what ftill
was defeftive in the folid parts, when drinking
the water was over.

And now I fhall only recommend to fuch as
love their health, that the fureft way to partake
of the great benefit and good effe&s that frequent¬
ly follow after the courfe of drinking the waters
is quite over, is, to abftain from all tedious courfes
of phyfick, and ftridbly to obferve a regular dyet
in all points, and the longer they do it fo much
the better, and in this way by God’s bleffing, to,
expeft the after -effe&s of the waters.

CHAR

CHAP. V.

Concerning Bailing with the Pyrmont waters.

SOME people foolifhly imagine that cold fteeU
waters ought not to be warmed and made ufe
of for bathings, feeing there are fo many natural
hot baths, which feem defign’d by providence
for that purpofe, and are more proper and effica¬
cious for removing diftempers than cold waters
warmed, but there is no more reafon to think
that we fhould make ufe of the means, which
God has given us for the recovery of health, juft
in the manner as they come out of the Earth
without any preparation, than that we are to eat
all our food raw and undreffied j on the contrary
the right ufe of many of the belt things we en-
joy, feems to have been hid from man, till fuch
time as he fhould by the right improvement of
his underftanding, and by careful obfervation and
experience, find out in what way and manner
fuch and fuch things might be made ufeful and
beneficial to mankind.

With refpecf to Bathing , as there are many nu¬
meral waters, fo hot that they cannot be ufed till
they ftand feveral hours to cool, and as reafon
teaches men not to ufe them as they come out of
the fpring, fo it is with refpeft to cold waters,
and as they generally agree bo.th in their original ,
ingredients, operation and effects, it is reafonable to
expeft, that cold mineral waters, when warmed,
lhould be as effeftual for removing the indifpo-
fitions of the human body, as naturally hot wa¬
ters, and as the cold waters are commonly more

fpirituous,

C 73 3 <

fpirituous, and their ingredients more fubtile, it
is not without reafon, that it is afferted, that
when fuch frefh water is rightly prepared for
bathing, it has better effect than a naturally warm
bath, and particularly the Pyrmont waters, which
may be warmed to a great degree for two hours,
before the internal fermentation and motion of
the fubtile parts ceafe, and their fpirits be intirely
gone, for when this internal motion of the mi¬
neral fpirit is hr its greateft ftrength, it muft ne-
ceffarily affeft and penetrate the folid parts of the
body more ftrongly than a bare / aline water , whofe
fpirit and fubtile parts have been already concen¬
ter’d, changed and intirely loft in the alcaline earth ,
which gives us reafon to think, that fteel water
baths are to be ufed more cautioufly, and with
greater circumfpe£lion than natural hot baths, be-
caufe the firft operate more ftrongly and are more

penetrating than the laft.

As to bathing with Pyrmont waters, we have
fo many inftances of the wonderful effedls ol them
in that way for almoft thefe 200 years, that no
other mineral water, hot or cold, can boaft of
the like, and it were eafy to enumerate many of
the various cures upon perfons of all ranks, attefted
by phyficians of the beft chara&ers, who were
eye witneffes of the fame, but feeing this would
be too tedious, we choofe rather to proceed to give
an account of the beft way and manner of pre¬
paring the bath, fo as it may duly anfwer the
end, alfo to mark out the feveral grofs miftakes
and abufes, that people fall into in this point.

The way and manner that the waters operate
externally may be confidered under two circunv
fiances, viz.

ift, As long as the internal motion of the1
fubtile parts of > the waters continues and all

> their

■V

t 79 1

their fpmtuoufnefs is not exhaled and concenter’d
into the alcalme earth, it ftrongly ftimulates the
extremities of the nerves* infmuates it felf in¬
to the nervous and membranous parts, and con¬
trails the external folid parts, ftrengthens and
opens the nerves and reftores to the relaxed fibre§
their natural tone, and all the peccant matter ,
which fticks in the external parts and their feveral
canals is attenuated and partly carried off by
fweating, partly carried back into the common
mafs of the humours, and afterwards caft out of
the body by its feveral excretory dufts.

And when the membranous and mufcular parts
are too much moiftned, mollified or extended, or
filled with thick and vifcous, or fwelled with
cold hydropical humours, they recover their
ftrength and elafticity, and the fwellings are in*
tirely difpelled.

idly, When the internal fermentation of the
water is over, the fpirituoufnefs is gone, and the
irony earth precipitated, then they operate much
more gently, and come nearer to the nature of
hot baths, they mollify more than they did be¬
fore, and by the halfamick , fulphureous ferruginous
[ earth , they ftrengthen the folid parts and cleanfe
the faline particles, infinuate themfelves into them,
but all this goes on more gently and flowly than
before. The firft way of operating is beft for
ftrong conftitutions, and when one is fure that
-the body is freed by the internal ufe of the waters,
from all fuperfluous and filthy humours, and that
I the vifcera are found and in good condition. To
j fuch, bathing affords frequently a very fpeedy re¬
lief againft external accidents and defedis, and
does more in 5 or 6 times than other Baths in 20.

As for fuch as are of a tender and weak con^

1 ftitutiorj, and who have reafon to fufpedt that

the

[ 8o]

the maffa humdrum is any mariner of way dorriip-
ted, or who have any fwellings, the fecond
mixture and Hate of the water is fafeft and belt,
at leaft it is fit to begin with it, and afterwards
come to the other wheri rriatters are changed for
the better, left the fuperfluous and hurtful hu¬
mours thrown back into the vifcera and other parts,
occafion inflammations and other diforders.

How this two fold ftate of the bath is regu¬
larly to be obferved for the advantage of the pa¬
tient, a Ikilful phyfician will be beft able to judge
and determine, according to the difference of con¬
futations and nature of diftempers; and if the
neceffary rules be well obferved, every body will
find by experience, and by manifold inftances of
cures that happen every year, that the Pyrmont
water when warmed is effe&ual in all difeafes
wherein hot mineral baths have been found to give
relief.

We fhall now confider, ift7 The neceffary pre*
paration for bathing.

*idly7 The time, when.

3 dly7 How long it is fit to continue it
4 tM% The way of preparing the waters.
phly , How long it is fit to ftay in the bath,
with the other rules neceffary to be obferved,
in and after trie bath.

iff The beft preparation for bathing is, ufing
the waters internally, for thereby the body will
be fo well cleanfed, that there will be no reafon
to fear that the fuperfluous humours will be heat*
ed by bathing and brought to ferment, or any
hurtful thing driven from the outward parts into
the vifcera , as has been already faid.

But if for any particular reafons, bathing with¬
out previoufiy drinking, the water, is found to
be moft proper, then the body muft be firft
cleanfed by proper medicines, and during the

courfe

C 8. ]

courfe of bathing, dayly kept open ; and fuch as
abound in blood may open a vein fome days be¬
fore they begin.

idly. As to the time the following rules muft
be obferved.

iji, The beft time of the year is the hot fea-
fon, when the weather is good, and there is the
leaft reafon to be afraid of catching cold, and there¬
by fhutting the pores of the body.

idly , After the Patient has drank the waters
8, io, 11 or 14 days, and finds his body eafed
and cleanfed thereby, then it is proper to begin
bathing, and it is not neceffary to fix particularly
upon a determined time for continuing the bath,
as fome imagine, for many drink the waters
warmed in the morning, and afterwards bath in
them, and go on for 2, 3, 4, weeks, and fome-
times twice a day, without any inconveniency,
and the experience of many years Ihews us, that
the internal and external ufe of the waters at the
fame time are very confiftent, when due care is
taken, to ufe them in a regular moderate manner,
and indeed drinking the water moderately, dur¬
ing the courfe of bathing, is among other things
of great ufe to prevent coftivenefs , which fuch as
ufe the bath are very liable to, and thereby feveral
indifpofitions are occafioned, which may indeed
be helped by relaxing medicines, but by none
better than by the water it felf.

3 dly. It is neceffary that they who ufe the wa¬
ters both internally and externally at the fame
i time, Ihould fet apart more time for that purpofe
I than two or three weeks, that fo the cure may not
be over haften’d, but proceed gently with all due
precaution ; neither is it improper to prolong the
bathing eight days after having done drinking,

G and

p ... \ i ' '

■

' 1 ■ ' c 85 ]

and fometimes it may be proper not to begin bath¬
ing till drinking the waters is intirely over, but
all this muft be fuited to the circumftances of the
patient.

4 thly, The time of the day moft proper for
bathing is nine a clock in the morning, and five
in the afternoon, when digeftion is over.

jthly. Such as are fat, and abound in blood,
agree beft with bathing in the morning, when
their body is alert, and their Veflels not fo full,
as they ufually are after eating plentifully, when
a great quantity of chyle is difpenfed to the blood ;
but upon trial every one will find what is moft
fuitable to his conftitution.

6thly , Such as cannot ftay at home, but are
obliged to be abroad about noon, and to expofe
themfelves to the open air ; when the weather is
but indifferent, and fuch who after bathing lofe
their appetite, or are much inclined to fleep, and
find themfelves fatigued, will do beft to bath in
the Evening.

jthly , The patients themfelves will be able to
judge how often, and how long they ought to ufe
the bath, by observing how they bear it, if they
are not over fatigued by it, and if their Limbs are
eafier after it, &c. but especially a Ikilful phyfi-
cian, to whofe dire&ion they commit themfelves,
will be beft able to judge, by confidering the na¬
ture of their diftemper ; after the fame manner it
may be determined, whether it be beft to bath
every day, or every other day, or two days fuc-
ceffively, and intermit the third day ; there are
many inftances of patients that have bathed 10
or 12 times fuccemvely, not only without any
inconVeniency, but with very good effeft ; but

[ 8? 3

this depends intirely upon the ftrength of the pa*
tient.

The Waters for bathing have hitherto been
taken out of what they cali the Brodel W elly not
that the water of what they cali the Trinck W ell
is not as good for that purpofe, but becaufe it be¬
ing ufed for drinking, might be troubled by
drawing a great quantity for bathing alfo, and
tho? the water of the Brodel Well be not fo lub-
iile, fpirituous and clear as the other, and tho’ all
waters lofe a part of their fpirituoufnefs when
Warmed for bathing, yet the remaining contents,
which buffer no alteration by being warmed, are
in greater quantity in thefe, than in the waters of
the ¥ rmek Well The ufual way at prefent of
preparing the waters for the bath is to warm a
certain quantity of them, and to mix it with a great¬
er quantity of the cold freih water in the bathing
tub, which feems not to be amifs, for thereby the
fpirituoufnefs of the frefh cold waters keep them
a confiderable while in full motion, and fermen¬
tation, which produces the effefts we have al¬
ready mentioned ; but when the bath is prepared
for perfons of weak conftitutions, it is belt to
warm the whole quantity upon a gentie fire, that
fo the waters may lofe fome part of their fpiritu¬
oufnefs and ftrong penetrating virtue, which other*
wife would be too ftrong for fome conftitutions
and difeafes, as we have faid before.

When the waters for bathing are prepared ei¬
ther the one or the other way, thefe following
rules muft be obferved in the ufe of them.

iftj That they be only milk warm, or not warm*
er than our blood,

G 2 &Jly%

t 84 3

"i/v After putting on a bathing fhirt, prepar’d
for that purpofe, if the patient be ftrong, he may
orefentlv fit down upon the cuihion, which is
placed in the bath, and is made of linnen-cloth
wrapped up and folded together , but fueh as
are of a weakly conftitution, and know by ex¬
perience that they are ftrongly moved and affeaed
fcv the bath, ought at firft to put only their feet
into it for a few minutes, and then to go up to
the knees, and afterwards fit down upon the cu-

fhion. . _ ,

"Jly After the patient is fet down upon the

cuihion, he muft be well covered with cloth, all

except the head, and the parts above the water

will by the fteam of the warm water be foon put

into a gentle fweat. It has been ufual not to go

deeper into the bath than the navel, as if the

water were too ftrong and penetrating for one to

so into it above the ftomach ; but if the condition

of the patient will allow it, when the waters are

duly warmed, and there be fufficient room in

the bathing place, he may go into it even over

the (houlders, as well as in other mineral waters ;

but if the patient cannot bear it, and yet the up-

permoft parts require the afliftance of the waters,

in that cafe they may either be poured upon the

parts, or with a fponge or wet cloth applied to

them. , . , , •

4 thly. If the patient find that his body is not

warmed fufficiently by the waters, and that he
can bear them if they were warmer, then it is fit
to pour in more warm water, till fuch time as
he find it is enough, and that a gentle fweat be¬
gins to break out ; and indeed it is much better
That the bathing Ihould occafion a gentle fweat,
for thereby a great deal of hurtful fluff is thrown

©lit

[ 85 ]

out of the body, and by opening the pores, the
mineral virtue of the waters can better infmuate
itfelf into them, yet it is better not to fweat at
all, than to force it by too hot a bath, for we
have many inftances of the good effe&s of bath¬
ing without fweating, and to fupply the place of
it, rubbing the body with a coarfe rough cloth
will have good effeft, and this has been much re¬
commended by ancient phyficians, as very effec¬
tual in external diforders, for the quickening
the nerves, recovering the tone of the parts, and
opening the pores, The dropping of water
from a high place upon the affefted parts is now
feldom ufed ; but fuch a thing might eafily be
contrived during the courfe of bathing, and to
very good purpofe.

jtbly. The patient ought not to ft, ay in the bath
the firft time above half an hour, afterwards by
degrees three quarters of an hour, one hour, an
hour and a half, but never above two hours, to
fit longer in it is neither neceflary nor ufeful.

6thly , If the patient finds that he turns giddy
and faint, and has a ftrong palpitation of the
heart, he muft not wait till he faint away, but
muft come out and go to bed, and bring himfelfby
degrees to bear the bath, and fuch as are affe&ed
in this manner by it, ought to have good volatile
fait to fmell to, or fome other thing to revive and
ftrengthen them, if needful, that they may be
able to hold out

ytbly9 When the patient come out of the bath,
he muft take care to keep himfelf warm, dry and
fhift himfelfby the fire, and then go into a warm
bed, and let the fweat go off by degrees,

G 2 Mly%

C 86 3

$tyjy It is very feldom found to be of any ad-*
vantage’ to take a Judonfick before or after bathing,
for commonly the patient in time of battling fweats
more them is needful, and they that are hard to
fweat can fcarcely bear any hot fudorifick ; but
fuch as are fubjefit to ebullition of the blood, pal¬
pitation of the heart, giddinefs, &c. will find
great advantage by taking a good dofe e# pulvere
temperahte , cooling fait s y or the like, in two fpoon-
fuls of wine, a quarter, or half an hour before
they go into the bath, for many who have been
thus affetled, have by fo doing, been perfeftly re->
lieved, and fometimes perfons have by thefe
things been brought to fweat enough, who could
not by the ftrongeft tinfitures of bezoar be dif-
pofed to it.

gtbly. If the patient flay in the bath from 9 to
10, and in bed from 10 to 1 1, he will have at leaft
an hour to refrefh himfelf by degrees before din¬
ner, and a glafs of wine with a good ftomachic
will not be amifs, and it will be beft to dine at
home, and not go to the open air till after dinner ;
in the evening it is beft to eat fomething hot alter
bathing, and to ftay at home and walk in a night
gown, and to pafs the time in agreeable company,
for it is not good to lie long in bed after bathing,
becaufe commonly ebullition of the blood andreft-
lefs nights are the confequents of it.

As to other things that relate to dyet and the
way of living during the courfe of bathing, the
fame rules ought to be obferved as in drinking the
waters; and as to any other method of ufing the
waters externally by fomentations, anointing,
walking, gargling, &c. a ikillful phyfician ac¬
quainted with the properties and virtue of the
waters will be beft able to direfit, according to the

nature

£ 8; ]

nature of the diftemper, and experience will fhow,
that whatever may be hoped from a good mineral
water, may be equally found in this; as to what
effe&s bathing in the cold mineral water would
have, we fhall leave it to further experience and
tryal to find it out*

CHAP. VI.

Concerning the abufes and miftakes that Patients fall
into while they ufe the waters , whereby they may
become dangerous and hurtjuh

WE have already obferved that all the means
God has been pleafed to beftow upon
us, both for nourifhment and health, when not
rightly ul'ed, become unwholefome and hurtful ;
and as there is no medicine that can cure all dif-
eafes, fo it is no wonder, that by the ufe of the
beft mineral waters all Tick people are not only not
cured, but even fome receive hurt by them, and
as it is manifeft, that every year, many difeafes
reckoned incurable, all other medicines having
failed, have been cured by the Pyrmont waters,
yet it is owing to a diforderly way of living dur¬
ing the cure that many more are not cured ; where¬
fore to conclude this defcription, we fhall briefly
mention fome of the abufes and miftakes that pa¬
tients commit during both the internal and exter¬
nal ufe of the waters. And firft drinking the
waters cold without any order or difcretion, is
the occafion of the greateft mifchief, of which we
have many inftances, fome drink great glafles full
without any intermiflion, and if they can but

G 4 fwallow

[ 88 3

fwallow the quantity they propofe to drink they
think no more of it ; but it is eafy to confider that
few patients have fo much internal heat, as is fuf-
ficient to warm 6 or 8 pounds of cold water,
which perhaps they drink in the fpace of one hour,
or an hour and a half at moft, without receiving
fome dammage by it.

Every body knows that the feveral fluids of the
body are preferved in their fluidity by motion and
heat, and that they are coagulated by cold and
rendered unfit for motion ; now feeing our life
confifts in the free motion and circulation of the
fluids through all the parts, even the fmalleft vef-
fels of the body, whatever difturbs this motion,
or coagulates the fluids, particularly in the vifcera
muft be prejudicial to health ; fo that it is evident
when the ftomach is filled all of a fudden with
exceeding cold water, neither it’s own heat nor
that ot the contiguous parts is fufficient to warm
it fo foon as is neceffary, fo that the feveral parts
not accuftomed to the cold muft be thereby com
traded and their fluids thickned, and if the cold-
nefs of the water have this effed upon the parts
that are found, what effed muft it have upon fuch
as are weakned and huffed with thick and vifcous
humours ? certainly thefe obftrudions muft be
thereby increafed, hardned and made altogether
indiffoluble.

It is wholly owing to this diforderly ufe of the
waters that patients fo often complain that the wa¬
ters were too ftrong for them and have fpoiled
their ftomachs, brought an ague upon them,
weakned their breaft, given them a cough, &c.
all which is owing to themfelves and not to the
waters, and they are very happy that have ef-
caped fo well 3 for according to the way of living

now

now a days few perfons are accuftomed to cold
things, and among a hundred perfons of diftin-
ftion fcarce one is accuftomed to drink cold liquors
in the morning ; coffee, tea, chocolate being their
ordinary drink, fo that fuch a quantity of cold
water taken all at once cannot but be very preju¬
dicial to them. And tho? the cold mineral wa¬
ters are not fo frequently hurtful as common wa¬
ter, becaufe the mineral fpirit and the internal
motion and fermentation of their fubtile parts,
and their opening and diffolving qualities give them
fome fmall degree of heat, yet it is with them as
with wine,which notwithstanding of the hot fpirit
contained in it, when drankwery cold, flops the
circulation in fome or other of the nnjcerq, and
has all the bad effedfs of any other cold liquor
imprudently drank, and in the manner we have
faid, affedfs even hot and vigorous cpnftitutions,
but efpecially fuch as are cold, phlegmatick and
weakly through various obftrudfions and unwhole-
fome humours.

If it be objedled to what has been faid, that
many phyficians are of opinion, that cold water
fometimes ftrengthens the ftomach, reftores the
tone of it, when top much relaxed, and the nerves
and other veflels to their former elafticity ; it may
be anfwered, that this is not denyed, and a fmall
quantity of cold water which the ftomach may
eafily warm cannot hurt any perfon, but a great
quantity drank without any difcretion, and for
many mornings fuccefiively, cannot but be very
dangerous and hurtful.

And here it will not be amifs to warn the female
fex, that if during their menfes they continue to
drink the cold waters, they put their health to the
tryal, and in very great danger, and it is a great

pity*

C 9° 1

pity, that the waters which every year reftore f6
many women to their health in this article, fhould
by imprudent management prove the ruin of
others.

adly, Another miftake and diforder that patients
are guilty of is, when they drink the waters in
too great quantity, and too faft, and this is very
common, for when the waters don’t follow their
caprice and operate according to their fancy, then
they muft take the other full bumper, and as they talk
make one bumper drive out another; but how ftrong
and hot foever their conftitutions may be, yet all the
inconveniencies already mentioned, that are occa-
fion’d by cooling the vi/cera too much, will alfo
follow upon this method. For fuch patients as
are in too great haft and have their minds hurried
and diftra&ed with bufinefs, which they feem to
mind more than their health, and when perhaps
as many weeks as they reckon days are neceffary
for the cure of their diforders, would do much
better to abftain intirely and fo prevent the hurt
they may fuftain by not obferving fuch method
and rules as are abfolutely neceffary.

3 dlyy The moft common diforder and abufe of
all is in the dyet , how much hurt is done by
eating all kind of fugar cakes , prunes , raifws, &c ?
whereby the waters are not only hindred to operate
freely, but they breed fharp, fower vifcous hu¬
mours in the ftomach and bowels, which tho’ they
may be fome times prefently carried off by the
waters, yet it were much better not to put fuch a
hindrance in their way, for there remains always
fomething behind that difturbs the digeftion and
occafions other diforders ; and immoderate fmoak*
ing of tobacco is much more hurtful than ufeful,
and it rather difturbs than promotes the natural

operation

[91 3

operation of the waters, efpecially confidering
that the lovers of it can never keep within bounds.

4 tbly. Eating too foon after drinking the waters
before the prim vi<e are for the moft part freed
of it, is alfo a very great fault, for the vifiluals
are carried off too foon by the waters which re¬
main, and undigefted juices carryed into the
bowels, &c. which occafion cholicks, obftruftions
of the glands, &c. The waters give the patients
a good ftomach, fo that they both eat too faft and
too much, efpecially at night, and with all kind of
fruits and other things they frequently bring upon
themfelves all forts of diforders and intirely defeat
the good effects of the waters.

jthly, patients are frequently very diforderly
in their ordinary drink, fome as foon as they
have done drinking the waters drink a great deal
of coffee, tea or chocolate, and thereby difturb
the operation, and drown the bowels with too
much moifture, fo that what the mineral water
has, by it’s fpirituoufnefs and fubtile irony earth
in fome meafure ftrengthened, is either relaxed
anew, or the good effects, in a great meafure pre¬
vented ; if the defign be to warm the cold water,
it would have been better to have warmed it
a little before drinking it, than to do it with other
warm water, after the cold has had it’s bad effeft
upon the vifcera, and the mineral waters are
thereby too much diluted and weakned.

6thly , They that drink too much wine during
the courfe of drinking the waters, do great hurt
to their healths, as we have already obferved.
l] Patients are generally of opinion that they ought
lj to drink plentifully of wine in order to fortify
jj their ftomach, and they that love it comply very
ihearfully with this rule, and if before they begin

tQ

c 92 i

to ufe the waters, their phyficians did either for¬
bid it altogether, or reftrained them with refpe£t
to the quantity, yet then they think themfelves at
full liberty ; and when their diftempers proceed
moftly from the immoderate ufe of hot liquors,
their heated, dryed, and fharp bilious blood wants
to be diluted, cooled, re&ifyed, and cleanfed, yet
they returning to their former diforders, by which
they brought their diftempers upon themfelves, not
only make the beft means for recovering their
health ineffectual, but frequently reduce them¬
felves to a worfe ftate than before.

ythly , Sleeping long at noon is alfo very dan¬
gerous during the cure, and fometimes caufes
convulfions, apoplexies and the like ; for the wa¬
ters by their fpirituoufnefs and fubtile fuiphureous fat
affefting the head, may during the fleep raife a
confufed motion in the nerves and other fmall
veffels of the brain, efpecially in fat J anguine people ,
who are naturally difpofed to fuch diftempers ;
moreover fleeping long after dinner is the caufe of
indigeftion,bad chyle, pains in the ftomach, weari-
nefs and lazinefs, wherefore it is beft to avoid it
as much as poflible ; gaming after dinner is as
hurtful as fleeping, becaufe the patient muft fit
ftill and think clofely.

%thly. It is well known that all commotions and
difturbances of the mind, fuch as, anger , fear,
forrow and the like, are very hurtful to people in
good health, but more efpecially to fuch as are
weak and fickly, particularly when under cure,
for then all the humours are in a kind of fermen¬
tation, fo that it cannot be eafily imagined how
deftruclive to the health fuch like paffions are ; we
have already propofed what is to be done to avoid
them.

Exercifo

C 93 3

Exercife of the body is very beneficial to fuch
as drink the waters, providing it be moderate,
but when it exceeds the due bounds, it occafions
immoderate fweating, which hinders the waters
to produce their beft and molt beneficial effeft,
and is the caufe of many diforders, as has been
already more fully explained ; and this is a point
wherein many ladies of a tender and weakly com
ftitution do great prejudice to their health, tor
their heart being let upon balls, they frequently
repeat and continue their dancing fo long till they
over heat themfelves, grow faint and thirfty, and
then they have their recourfe to confe&ions, coffee,
tea, limonade, wine &c. which greatly overcharge
and diforder the ftomach, and next morning they
are very unfit for drinking the waters, fo that they
are not only not cured oi their prefent diftempers,
but fall into new diforders, which naturally fol¬
low upon being over heated, with too violent ex-
ercifes, and then catching cold.

As to abufes and miftakes committed in
bathing, it is firft to be obferv’d, that as in
the internal ufe of the waters, drinking them
cold without any thought or confideration, does
the greateft mifchief, fo, on the contrary, in the
external ufe of them, making the bath too hot
does very great harm ; for the women employed
for preparing the bath, and even the patients
themfelves are of opinion that it can be of no
fervice, if they don’t fweat plentifully over all
parts of the body, fo that they make the bath as
hot as it is poffible to bear it, and commonly the
patients come out of it as red as boiled Lobfters,
and from thence arife great and many diforders,
fuch as lofs of a great deal of the ufeful mo fare of
the body , great thirfty ftrong ebullition of the bloody
S ' head -

[ 94 3

lead-ache s, giddinefs , palpitation of the heart, aftfa
turfs, wearinefs , faintnejs, reftlefsnefs, lofs of appe¬
tite fevers, &c. lo that all the medicinal qualities
of this ftrong mineral water which we have al¬
ready mention’d, don’t make fo great alterations
in the body, as the accidental property of fuper-
fluous, unnecelfay and hurtful heat ufually
makes, which it is in the power of every body
to moderate as they pleafe, and as may be molt
for their advantage.

It is very common when any patient miters
thefe inconveniencies which are the certain con-
fequences ol bathing in too hot water, to afcribe
them to the water itfelf, as if it were too ftrong,
and unfit to bath in, yet it is known that perfons
of a very weak and tender conftitution, when
the bath was prepared as it ought to be, have not
only ufed it for a long time, but frequently can
ftay two hours in it without the leaft inconve-

niency. .

Bathing is hurtful in long Paroxyjms, and vio¬
lent fits of the palfy, fuch like difeafes have com¬
monly their periods and changes, they are gone
for fome time, and return afterwards at a certain
time of the year, it one ufe the bath at fuch time,
his members cannot endure fuch ftrong irritation
and moiftening, fo that his diforder becomes
worfe, and it is long before he can be brought to
rights again, but when it is done at a proper
time, the patient will thereby prevent the parox-
yfm, preferve himfelf the whole year, and if the
diftemper be not too much rooted, be at length
intirely delivered from it.

If any body undertake to diffipate and difpel
too foon any great fwelling in the feet by the ufe
ef the bath, it is commonly the caufe of many

inward

C 95 3

inward diforderS, fo that any thing of this na¬
ture muft be done by degrees, and with great
precaution ; neither ought any perfon to ufe bath¬
ing for curing of ulcers or old fores in foul un-
wholefome bodies, till fuch time as the fuperfluous ,
fharp bilious humours be carried off, and indeed in
all diftempers, till the body be cleanfed, the bath
cannot be ufed without danger and hurt, as we
have already fhewn in the preceding chapter.

Laftly, ’tis a great abufe when decrepit old
people that have no more ftrength nor moifture,
that are confumed by long heftick fevers and in¬
ward diftempers, or other fick people that can re¬
ceive no further help from any other medicine,
but are already compleat candidates for death , come
to the waters as if it were to the tree of life , and
make ufe of them as their laft refuge, for they
would do much better to w^ait for their laft hour
with patience, than thus to haften their end, and
bring a bad report upon the waters that in them-
felves are altogether harmlefs.

If thefe abufes which we have mentioned be
carefully guarded againft, the chief obje&ions
againft the waters will fall to the ground, and
we beg leave to afk fuch phyficians, as lightly
efteem mineral waters, thefe following queftions;

In what way and manner do they cure their
patients? Is it by evacuations? We have fhewn
that the Pyrmont waters cleanfe and clear the body
through all excretory du£ts whatfoever, and that
i in a fafe and gentle manner,
i \ idly. Is it by removing obftru6lions ? then th&
I ingredients of the waters are among the beft ape-
; rients,

i zdh j>

C 96 1

-idly. Is it by reftoring ftrength to the benumb*
ed and relaxed parts? then the rich chalibeat
waters produce this effect beft.

4 tbly. Is it by fweetening and correcting the
fharp, fowr, faline, and bilious humours ? this
is done by the alcaline earth and cryftalline fub-
ftance contained in the waters.

Now when any medicine produces all thefe
capital efie£ls, if fomething particular againft moft
diftempers incident to human bodies is not to be
expefled from it, I know not where any thing
better is to be found.

FINIS,

A Brief

u

ACCOUNT

OF THE

/ 1 \

Mineral Waters

O F

S P A. ■

ExtraBed from jeveral Authors.

B y G EORG E T U R N E R, M. D.

LONDON:

Printed for A. Millar, at Buchanan’s Head?
over againft St, Clement’s Church in the
Strand, mpccxxxiiu

y.

A

i

*

/

i

>

i V-

Chap. I.

A Description of the Town of Spa.

PA is a town fituated in the diftridl
of Liege , fix leagues eaft from that
capital : it was formerly a fmall vil¬
lage, but has fince been inlarged to a
town by the inhabitants, who found
themfelves obliged to increafe the buildings for
the conveniency of lodging the great number of
ftrangers who refort thither for the benefit of the
waters.

Moft of the Houfes are built in the form of a
crefcent, the outfide middle facing the fouth,
having a view of the eaft and weft; and the
whole town is fhelter’d from the north by a high/
mountain that extends itfelf more than the length
of the whole town.

The country around is for the moft part heath,
woods, and mountains, abounding with fprings
both of mineral and common water, which de«
fcends in rivulets, and waters the meadows and
cultivated grounds, which produce no wheat, but
inftead thereof a great quantity of fpelt and oats,
and fome rye, but fo little, that the greateft part
of their bread is made of fpelt which the inha¬
bitants find both favoury and wholefome ; there
is likewife fome flax for their own ufe, which
thrives very well

' Ha

The

The reft of the country is ftony, and full of
barren mountains, yielding little elfe than heath
and wood, which affords but a wild profpeft ; fo
that thofe who come to Spa for a remedy for their
difeafes muft not expeft to find a fine champaign
country, with the fruits and flowers of Italy ; yet
thofe who delight in hunting and fhooting will
find a country full of game, fuch as wild boars,
deer, and hares ; heath cocks, gelinots and par¬
tridges ; befides other birds of the common fort.

There are medicinal herbs to be found upon the
moft barren mountains, and likewife wild thyme,
which is an excellent feeding for fheep, and is the
reafon for the mutton of this country (tho’ fmall)
being preferable to moft that’s to be found elfe-
where, and the rivulets that defcend from the
mountains are full of Trouts, Gudgeons, Loaches,
Crawfifh, &c. which makes them be fold very
cheap.

The inhabitants are fo dexterous both at hunt¬
ing and fifhing, that was it not for the diligence
of officers that are employed to reftrain them, the
game would be intirely deftroyed in a little time.

SECT. I.

Of the accommodations that fir angers meet with at

SPA.

Strangers who have been once at Spa, are gene-*
rally defirous of going thither again ; for befides
their finding a remedy for many obftinate diftem*
pers which all other means are often incapable to
overcome ; they have the pleafure of being well
received by the inhabitants of Spa, and thofe of
the neighbourhood, who are very courteous and
obliging to ftrangers, behaving towards them with

[ IOT ]

the utmoft refpeft. The country people bring
great quantities of all forts of provifion every day
without exception, and fold at a very reafonable
rate, there is good bread and wine of all forts,
and even cheaper than at Liege, befides other
lifeful liquors fuch as Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate,
likewife their beer is very good.

There are convenient lodgings for all forts of
people, and even fovereign princes would not be at
a lofs for reafonable accommodations.

They who chufe to have their victuals drefs’d
at home, may have it done very conveniently,
for wherever you take a lodging the people of the
houfe are obliged to furnifh you with firing, and
all the neceffary utenfils for cookery, or you may
be ferved from the cooks or taverns at a very rea¬
fonable price.

’ . The great concourfe of ftrangers encourages the
merchants of feveral towns to bring their goods to
Spay as to a good market, where all forts of ufeful and
curious things are to be fold ; and the inhabitants
make feveral little trinkets of wood, ivory, mo¬
ther of pearl, tortoifefhell, filver, and brafs, and
have a particular knack at inlaying, representing
the figures of men, beafts, birds, fifhes, infers,
fruits, flowers, leaves, &c. Moft people pur-
chafe fome of them, being fo exceeding curious
as hardly to be equalPd in other countries ; and
their quick vent obliges the artificers to confine
themfelves moftly to this fort of work.

As to the converfation of the place, people ge¬
nerally affociate together without diftinction, and
thofe who are ftrangers to one another foon be¬
come acquainted, and carry on their little araufe-
ments, and diverfions with the utmoft freedom;
balls and affemblies are open to all who make a
tolerable appearance. Laymen may fay and do

H 3 wh»t

t 102 1

what they pleafe, provided it be without offence to
God, or fcandal to their neighbour ; ecclefiafticks
may fpeak their thoughts, tho’ with fome caution,
and a decency fuitable to their profeffion, and
they are generally of the party in moft polite con¬
ventions.

Every thing tends to amufement, wits exercife
their fatyr, and raillery, and are fometimes paid
back in their own coin ; nothing is ferious, but
gaiety and innocent diverfions feem (next the ufe
of the waters) to be the bufinefs of the place.

As people from moft parts of Europe come to
Spay fo every one that pleafes may affociate with
thofe of his own country ; if it fometimes hap¬
pens otherwife, and that a perfon is at a lofs for
want of acquaintance, every one is officious to en¬
gage and introduce him into whatever company
fuits with his temper ; you converfe freely with
thofe you like, and avoid thofe you don’t, with¬
out offence. They who are of a melancholly dif-
pofition may indulge it on the wild healths, or fo-
litary woods, which this country will fufficiently
furnifh them with.

Thofe who are lovers of the ftories of furies ,
and Hobgoblins , will be entertained that way by the
old inhabitants, who by the falubrious quality
of the waters are healthier, more fertile in genera¬
tion, lefs fubjeft to epidemical difeafes, and at¬
tain to greater ages than thofe of moft other coun¬
tries : the reafon of which Stephius gives us in his
medicinal art, where, fpeaking of the people of Spa,
he fays, “ The folidity which their bodies ac-
u quire by the ufe of foffils, to wit, metals and mi-
cc nerals, and the daily difcharge of the excre-
“ ments by all the paffages, is the caufe of their
a being lefs fubjeft to early decays, are of long
a life, and exempt from epidemical difeafes.

In

[ io3 1

In order to prevent quarrels the magiftrates for¬
bid the wearing of fwords, or any other offenfive
weapon than a (lender flick wrought at Spa,
which is either ufed for eafe in walking or pure¬
ly for falhion’s fake, for whenever any difpute
arifes it feldom goes farther than words, every
one interpofing and endeavouring to prevent any
ill confequence that might happen.

There are necejjary houfes built near the feveral
wells for the conveniency of thofe whofe waters
pafs by (tool, that they may not be obliged to go
too far off, which might fatigue and heat them,
and divert the operation of the waters ; they who
are not able or inclinable to go far for a walk may
find a delightful one at hand in the Capuchin's gar¬
den which is always open, and in cafe they have
occafton there are neceffary houfes apart for both
lcX6S

In* a word, the pleafure and fatisfa&ion that
molt people find at Spa , is the reafon that not on¬
ly the Valetudinarians , but people in good health
often come thither, for the agreeable palling away
of a fummer : others come by way of prevention
to preferve themfelves againft fome diftempers
that at certain feafbns they are jubjeflto. ‘The on¬
ly and great inconveniency that the # Bobelins
have hitherto found, was the badnefsof the ways
from the town to the wells of Geronfter and Sauve -
mere , but the Count UJfpremont has lately been
pleafed to remedy that evil, fo that for the future

none will have reafon to complain.

H 4 SECT.

♦ A name given to the water drinkers.

[ *04 1

\

SECT. II.

Of the filiation of the federal Welh of Spa.

The wells of Spa are principally five, tho’ there
are feveral fmall fprings that difcover themfelves
in the neighbourhood, but not worth further
notice. Thefe five are Pomhon , Geronfter , Sau~
venter e , IVairoz , and Tonnelet , the three firft
are moft in ufe, tho’ the other two are fometimes
prefcribed by phyficians.

Pouxhon is in a little bottom at the lower end
of the market place, and ftands in a fine niche of
free ftone, fhut in with a door facing the weft,
it’s fpring comes from a hill about a mufket fhot
north of it, which faces the fouth and has like-
wife a view of the eaft and weft, fo that'it is’expofed
to the whole heat of the fun. Between the faid
hill and Pomhon , there is no frefh water, ’tis all mi¬
neral, which is a confirmation that it has it’s fource
from thence. A few paces diftant from Ponxhon , in
the market place towards the eaft, ftands a fine
fountain of frefh water, (furrounded with an iron
rail) to which there are four entrances, amen¬
ding two or three paces you come to the water
that runs into four vafes of free ftone, that re¬
ceives each a pipe from another placed above the
middle of them, which receives likewife three
other pipes iffuing out of the mouths of three
brazen Frogs, that carry upon their backs a ftep,
which is the arms of Liege.

Upon obferving the fituation of this fountain,
one would immediately imagine that its water
came from the fame hill as that of Pouxhon , but
it does not, but from a field about a quarter of a

league

£ io5 3

league diftant called Bojfet prez , and conveyed
from thence by pipes,

The company meets every morning early at
Pouxhon^ even thofe who drink the waters of Ge¬
ronfter ^ and Sameniere , fo that it may properly be
called the general rendezvous of Spa .

The well of Geronfter is diftant three quarters
i of a league fouth weft from Spa. It ftands in the
I hollow of a rock, under a cupula of free ftone
\ fupported by four marble pillars that were
erefted by order of M. Conrard Bourgscbrf Coun -
i cellor of Jiate to the Elector of Brandenburg in the
year idyi ; you go down three fteps to the well
which is encompafled with a wall. It is com
I fiderably lefs than that of Bomhon .

Thirty or forty paces from hence is to be feen
i the remains of another well formerly much fre-
i quented, called old Geronfter. Being obliged to
i dig in this place for water to fupply the crowds
) of people that flock’d thither, fome ftones of
i the rock were fhaken which diverted the courfe
' of the water, fo that nothing now remains but
I mud of the colour of rufty iron.

Sauveniere is half a league fouth eaft from Spay
its fpring comes from a rock lying fouth of it.
It is furrounded with a wail which is covered
with a cupula of free ftone, 'it is very neat but
I much lefs than Pouxhon or Geronfter , fo that it
often happens when there is a crowd of people
it is emptied fo faft that they are oblig’d to drink
moderately, and in proportion as the water comes
I out of the rock.

Behind this well and in the compafs of it’s wall
there is another fpring which from it’s vicinity is
called little Sauveniere^ or Grofbeeck , from the Baron
of that name 7 Archdeacon of Condroz and Chancellor
[ to

■

.

[ 106 3

to his ferene highnefs the Bifhop and Prime of Liege^
who adorn’d it with a niche of free ftone in the
year 1651.

Thefe three wells are the moft frequented ; they
have each of them a fhelter from the inclemency
of the weather ; that of the market place is very
neat, that of Geronfter is a flhed made of four
rough walls cover’d with ftraw, that of Sawveniert
is fomewhat larger, and cover’d with black Hate,
but the walls are of the fame materials as' that
of Geronfter , but whitened on the infide. At
each place there are perfons appointed to make
fires every morning before the company comes to
drink the waters.

The Burgomafters of Spa might make thefe
two laft places more convenient, tho’ indeed they
have no great encouragement to attempt it, for as
they lye fo remote from the town, as foon as any
little accommodation has been made, fome idle
people have put it out of order.

Thefe wells being fituated in rocks, can receive
no alteration from the rains, (tho’ ’tis vulgarly be¬
lieved they do) befides, Geronfter and Sameniere
are fhelter’d from them, and Pornbon can only
fuffer when the channel that runs through the
middle of the town is overflow’d above the level
of the well ; neverthelefs tho’ it is certain that in
rainy weather the waters are weaker, and their
vertues are diminifhed, yet it is as certain that
they are not lefs fo in cloudy weather when it does
not rain : fo that it is not the rain, but more likely
the temperature of the air, which at thofe times de¬
prives the waters of their ordinary a£livity.

Coming down from Sauvemere a quarter of a
league north eaft from thence, and half a league
from Spa , is the well of Watroz 3 it hands in the

lower

[ toy ]

lower end of a marfhy field, whofe foil is no bet¬
ter than a quagmire, it’s fpririg comes from a hill
about a musket fhot diftant, it is inclofed with a
little wall almoft ruin’d and furrounded with
rough ftones laid one upon another, with a large
one at the top to ferve for a covering ; there is no
place for fhelter, and it’s fltliation is fo bad and it’s
water fo fenfible of an alteration by rain and damp
weather, that it is not advifable at thofe times to
make ufe of it.

5" onnelet is a little farther diftant on the afcent
of a hill, in a large field call’d Frefneufe , half a
quarter of a league from the rocks. It has no re¬
treat nor fhelter nigher than a neighbouring village
call’d Nifzez. This field, particularly near the
well, is fo boggy and fpongy, that in feveral places
it appears dangerous for any one to venture for
fear of being buryed alive. Its lying fo remote
from the mountains, and fituated in a marlhy
ground, are reafons for this water receiving an
alteration from the leaft change of weather.

It’s fpring is incomparably greater than the
Others, the water gufhing up in great quantity
into a barrel without a bottom thruft into the
earth, from which it has it’s name. The water
is fo intenfly cold that one could more eafily en¬
dure putting one’S\hand into fnow or amongft bea»
ten ice than into this well. It ftands in a niche,
formerly neat enough, but through negledt in let¬
ting it go to decay, it is now almoft ruin’d. It’s
water is ftrong of the mineral, and tho’ fome
phyficians prescribe it, yet it is not in much re-
pute.

Of thefe five wells that of Pouxhon has molt of
the fun, which, with the fubterraneous heat, does
not a little contribute to a perfect mixture of the
minerals with it’s water.

CHAP.

£ i©8 ]

CHAP. II.

The analyfis of thefe feveral Fountains, ly
Mr. Chrouet, M. D.

I Begun, fays he, with that rubrick or red earth
which is found fixed to the pavement of the
wells, or in thofe channels through which the
waters run; that which I found moft worthy of
observation was that this earth feem’d to contain
the minute particles of whatever fubftances enter’d
their compofition, and that becaufe they are not
feparated by putrifaction or corruption, but by
their proper weight and by the diflipation of thofe
fpirits that fuftain them. This is fo true that if a
glafs of this water ilfuing from the fountain is ex-
pofed to the air, one fees fome moments after,
little bodies of a redifh colour floating therein,
which all come from the furface of the water,
and increafe in number proportionably to the dif-
fipation of it’s fpirits, and at laft fubfide at the
bottom under the form of red earth ; the bottles
kept for that ufe being a convincing proof.

Thofe who judge of it by it’s look, take it to be
a kind of iron ruft, but it’s levity and unfluofny
which it leaves on the fingers upon touching it
contradi&s this opinion, moreover the four or five
fountains which I examined with the utmoft care
refemble one another but very little, for that of
T’onneltt is of a lively red colour, and tafts fweet.
as fugar, that of Pouxhon is yellow, and piquant
to the taft, that of Sauvemere is of the fame colour,
but like that of Tonnelet in fweetnefs ; and that of
Geronlier is alfo yellow but of a faltilh tafte.

After

[ 109 1

After thefe fmall proofs I undertook to make an
analyfis in all the forms. I boil’d five ounces of
that of Geronfter in eight pounds of rain water,
and after letting it clarify I filter’d it through brown
paper, and by evaporation on a flow fire, got two
fcruples of a bitter and piquant fait which would
neither ferment with acids nor alkalies , it chang’d
the decoftion of galls to a whitilh colour, which'
precipitated to the bottom of the glafs like curdled
milk, and left the liquor above of a yellow colour.
This fait being pounded with charcole, and put
upon a tile, only redden’d in the fire but made no
detonation, and being calcin’d it became imme¬
diately alkalous without any puffing up, from
whence I infer that it was neither vitriolous ,
nitrons, nor aluminous, but a double fait refembling
thejvegetable fait of plants which, like that, eafily
iofes its acid and becomes alkalous by the leaft heat
contrary to the nature of thofe falts which are
only fubjeft to this alteration from the laft degree
of fire.

Having examin’d this fait I was defirous of be¬
ing fatisfied, if it contain’d any fulphur, I there¬
fore put twelve drachms of this matter into a
crucible which immediately fent forth a fmoak that
fmell’d of burnt iron and fparkl’d a little, from
whence I imagin’d there was fulphur; I pounded
fome of it with falt-petre to fee if putting that
into a crucible it would crackle, which not hap¬
pening made me conclude that thefe fumes and
fparklings were not caufed by a common fulphur,
but rather by particles of a metalick fulphur, which
was to be difcover’d in another manner.

I boiled twelve drachms of the fame rubrick in
a moderate quantity of rain water with double it’s
weight of fait of tartar till the water became red,
which I repeated by adding ftill the fame fait till

it

I HO ]

it would take no more tincture, then all the ful-
phur being enter’d into the pores of the fait of
Tartar, I precipitated it by pouring upon the tmclure
an equal quantity of well filter’d lime water, the.
mixture immediately thicken’d and became white
as milk, but infenfibly fubfided in the form of
'wbitifh fulphur, which I took care to wafh and dry
very' well, then fetting it upon the fire it fmoakedt
considerably and made a little noife with nitre, re¬
taining neverthelefs the fmell of iron, which con¬
firm’d me that it was a real metalick fulphur,
fome particles of which had been exalted by the
firy eorpufcles of the lime, but fo elaborated with
its double fait, that it wanted nothing but to be,,
interwoven with a neceffary quantity of earth to

make it real iron. .

The twelve drachms that I put into a crucible

to be examin’d by fire, loft a fixth part of its weight,
and took a dark colour; I threw half a drachm
of it into an ounce of the decoction of galls which
immediately chang’d its colour to a beautiful black ;
I likewife took another drachm and held it near a
loadftone which attracted with a furprifing fwift-
nefs every particle of it ; this made it appear to be
the real fubftance of iron without any mixture of
other metals as led, copper, cerus, &c. neverthelefs.
if it be expofed to the fire above half an hour it
becomes as red as vermilion and lofes its quality
of being attracted by the loadftone and tinging
black, but this happens likewife to the filings of
fteel when they are too much calcin’d by a brisk
fire. Thus judging of the virtues of the water
from which this red earth of mars and metahck
fulphur is taken, they ought to be greater than
thofe from iron it felf, becaufe this valuable iu.I-
phur with the double fait enters directly into the
v ' ' mafs

C III 3

i mafs of blood and enlivens it, whilft the meta-
lick part going no farther than the puma w,
corrects the too acrid juices, and ftrengthens the
bowels, and this it does more effectually by being
more exquifitely divided by nature than it could
be by art, fo that the whole fibres of the inteftines
are fenfible of it’s effects.

Five ounces of the rubrick of Tonnelet managed
in the aforefaid manner yielded me only ten grains
of a fait fat, and eager like cream of tartar , but af¬
ter having made the fame rubrick hot by the fire
I extracted half a drachm more from it, it preci¬
pitated the decoCtion of galls to a very pale red, as
cream of tartar will do, being calcin’d it does not
become alkalous like that of Geronfter, and after
) calcination there remains only the eighth part
! which fwells in little bladders like Allom, this
convinces me that there is allom in the water of
5 Tonnelet , and which is perhaps one of the caufes of
it’s coldnefs.

This rubrick put into a crucible fparkles like
the duft of charcole, continuing fo more than half
an hour, and the fmoke of it fmells like that of com-
! mon fulphur, being likewife pounded with nitre
i it makes a confiderable detonation, it diminifhes
! a third part before it lofes its fulphurous fmell,

! and affumes a purple colour, but with thefe pre-
I parations it does not blacken the decoCtion of galls,

I and is immovable at the approach of the loadftone;
I to give it thefe two qualities it muft be put into fu-
i hon till it acquires the natural colour of iron, then
i taking it out of the crucible you’ll find it dimi-
nilhed half its weight, partly in mafs and partly
i in coarfe powder, refembling iron in weight and
I colour, being fufceptible of the loadftone, and
blackening the decoction of galls as the filings of
iron would do, for which one cannot otherwife

account

account but by alledging that the great quantity
of common fulphur which is found m this ru-
brick muft be confumed by the fire before the iron
can manifeft it felf ; it has likewife the advantage
of being fhelter’d from the violence of the fire
and having its parts united by the fufion of the
fulphur, whereas the iron which is in that of
Geronfter having no fulphur, and being much ra-
rified, cannot bear the force nor continuation of
the fire without being intirely deftroyed.

Five ounces of that of Sometime yielded me
three fcruples of a fait like that of 1 Tonnelet , and
made the fame alterations on the the decoftion of
„alls- it diminifhed three fourths in calcination, and
what remained was infipid and would not ferment

with any acid. , _

I made twelve drachms of it red hot at a loft

fire which fparkled very much for two or three
minutes, and during the time I kept it upon the
fire it diffufed a fmoak and fmell of real fulphur,
when that was over and the iron began to fhew it
felf I took it from the fire, diminifhed three
drachms, which perfuaded me that the fourth
part of it was fulphur, after this the loadftone
attrafted it very eafily, and it likewife blacken’d
the decoftion of galls, which it would not have
done if it had been kept longer upon the fire, be-
caufe the texture of its Mars not being very clofe,
the fire would have eafily confumed the metalick
fulphur, and fo deftroyed this metal, but the fire
continuing but a very fhort while, confumes only
that kind of common fulphur which adheres to
its exteriour parts, whofe unauofity hinders the
aaion of the loadftone, as oyl or greafe hinders
its attrafting the filings of iron, and it is this kind
of fuperficial fulphur, join’d with nitre, that makes,
a detonation. The rubrick of IV atros affords the

C ”3 ]

fame fort of Salt as that of Sammtere , which
(like it) being calcined leaves no fix’d alkali, but
only a little infipid earth, the reft going away in
fmoke. It fmokes and fparkles in the crucible
for a little while, but this fmoke does not fmell
of real fulphur, but like that of turf mix’d with
iron, which being gone off, and that of iron only
remaining, I took it from the fire, diminifh’d a
fourth part of its weight, fufceptible of the load-
ftone and tinging the galls, which qualities it lofes
like that of Sauveniere if you furpafs the neceffary
degree of fire.

I alfo analyfed that of the old Geronfter, which is a
fountain about forty paces above the new, which
many people believe to be equal to it if not the
beft of the two, but they are much miftaken, for
in what manner foever this rubrtck is managed, it
does not appear to be by much fo marital as that
of Sauveniere , or Watros , and incomparably lefs
than that of new Geronfter , which lofes but two
drachms out of twelve, to make it more fufcepti¬
ble of the loadftone than any of the others.

Five ounces of the redearth of Pouxhon afforded
thirty grains of a piquant, fat and bitter fait,
which being put upon a tile red hot, went almoft
all off in a difagreeable fmoakand vapour, leaving
behind a little black infipid earth that would not
ferment with any acid, and altho’ it was very fat,
made no detonation with falt-petre ; it whiten’d
the deco&ion of galls, which a little after precipi¬
tated like a curd, leaving the liquor above of an
orange colour; this rubrick being put into a cruci¬
ble with falt-petre made no detonation, and being
alone did not fparkle like that of the other foun~
tains,but only exhal’d a kind of vapour that fmell’d
of iron, which is a ftrong prefumption of its be¬
ing intirely compofed of it; but in what manner

I foever

C II4 1

u be prepared, it will not ftir at the ap-
proach of the loadftone, and what is more fur-
prifing, in an inftant it turns the deco&ion of galls
very black, whereas that of the other fountains
being prepared become fufceptibie of the load¬
ftone (excepting that of Geronfter') and don’t black¬
en the decoftion of galls till lome hours after. I
know you will fay ’tis becaufe the water of Poux-
hon is impregnated with vitriol ; but if this was the
true reafon, whence comes it that the fait I extract¬
ed from its rubrick had not any one vitriolous qua¬
lity ? is it poffible for this vitriol to ftick fo clofe
to the rubrick, that all the artifice, that workmen
employ to feparate common vitriol from the mar-
caffity which originally contains it, could not dif¬
en gage it? on the other hand, if you conceive it to
be°a vitriolous fait of iron that produces this effeft,
I mult tell you that far from its being vitriolous, I
find it to be a fait altogether like that which is
produced of the red earth of Geronfter , and that
which is drawn from refined iron which do not
tinge the decoction of galls black, but whiten it in
the precipitation : to have the fait of iron fuch
as I am fpeaking of, you need only to quench
feveral bars of red hot iron in cold water, filter
this water and evaporate it at a flow fire to a dry-
nefs. The caufe then of this blackening quality
cannot be imputed to any vitriol in the rubrick.

This is all I have to fay upon thefe five or fix
kinds of red earth which in reality gives fome
ideas of the nature of the waters from which they
are taken, but don’t inti rely convince from the
vulgar prejudice of their being only confider’d as
an 'excrement; I thought it therefore neceffary to
have proofs from the waters themfelves? which I
undertook, by evaporating, and diftilling them,
of which 1 fhall give you a faithful account.

I

C °5 ]

I evaporated by a flow fire an hundred pound
weight ot the water of Geronjier , which being re¬
duced to two pounds appear’d very thick and
muddy, but letting it fettle became very clear by
the fall of a grey fediment which precipitated at
the bottom, this water was red and fmell’d ftronv-
ly of lye afhes, and having filtered it through
brown paper, and evaporated it to a drynefs°I
collected three drachms of a redilh fait, very pi¬
quant, which fermented ftrongly with fnirit of
vitriol ; the grey fediment, feparated from a drachm
and an half of glutinous earth, and dryed at a flow
fire, weighed half an ounce'; it felt undtuous be¬
ing prefs’d between the fingers, made a fmall de¬
tonation with lalt-petre, and being thrown in¬
to the fire alone evaporated in a fmoke that fmell’d
of fulphur mix’d with iron. I could not dif-'
cover any rubrick in this fulphureous matter
nor in the glutinous earth, fo threw them away as
ufelefs.

One hundred pound weight of the water of
Pouxhon evaporated in the fame manner, gave me
an ounce of a fulphiireous matter, five drachms of
a glutinous earth, and half an ounce of fait of a
lixivious fmell and tafte, fermenting but little with
fpirit of vitriol, muddying the decoition of galls,
and tinging it of a purple colour, which infenfibly
precipitated to the bottom in the form of curdled
milk, leaving the liquor above of a blackifn colour;
the fait ot the water of Geronfter does the fame5
with this difference only that the curdling which
falls to the bottom is white without any thing of
purple like that, of Pouxbon. If it' be a little
calcined . to make it the better ferment with acids,
it immediately lofes half of its weight, this does
not happen to that of Geronfter, which lofes but a
fourth part by the famedegree of heat, from which

I 2 we

[ ii 6 1

we may infer that preferring .its acid in the eva-
poration better than that of Geronfter , it is one of
[he reafonswhy the water of Pouxhon keeps better

in bottles than that of Geronfter.

This fait before it is calcin’d ferments tolerably
well with fpirit of vitriol, and if afterwards all its
humidity be flowly evaporated it will be mcreafed
a Sixth part : whereas that of Geronfter after it has
fermented more ftrongly with the fame fpirit is
ncreafed a third part; by this method you render
back to thefe falts as much of the acid as they loft
in the evaporation, which not only confirms what
T have afferted, but one may thereby calculate
the quantity of acids each pound of water con¬
tains in the pores of its alkalous fait. The ful-
phur being feparated from its drofs, and laid upon
a red hot tile, almoft evaporates in a fmoke that
fmells of burnt iron, leaving only a little eartn

and alkalous fait. . . , . .. .

It is furprifing that this fulphur precipitates

fooner than the rubrick which is much heavier,

but it’s probable that it being fupported in the

fluid by volatile acids which ferve as fo many

Floats to keep it up, and being exhaled by the heat

of the fire, leaves the metallick fulphur to its own

weight, whilft the red earth which has no hold

becomes as it were abforb’d in the empty fpaces

of the alkali. _ . c

This fulphur coagalates the decoction ot galls

without the leaft tincture of black, which con¬
firms what I before advanced, that the iron is in¬
corporated with the alkalous fait, and that it is
only the fulphur that precipitates. . T

As to the alkalous fix’d fait and the rubrick, 1
muft not forget to tell you that the red tincture
which is drawn off, in boiling the red earth with
three times it’s weight of fait of tartar, to precip1*

leilG

C ”7 ]

t ate the fulphur with lime water, being again fet
upon the fire, there forms upon the furface a pale
yellow skin, very thinning and of a fweetifh tafte,
which being put upon a red hot tile evaporates
away in fmoak of a fulphureous fmell, and it very
much refembles the enamell’d cream that is every
day to be feen upon the water in the fountain of
Pouxbon , all the difference that I find is that this
cream is tweeter, more diverfified with colours,
and much more fparkling, and being put into a
crucible exhales a ftronger fmell of fulphur, other-
wife they are much the fame, tor being dry’d they
appear equally white, being calcin’d they afford
the fame quantity of fix’d fait, and being poun¬
ded with falt-petre they make an equal detonation.
All which makes me judge that the faid fkin is a
mixture of fulphur difengag’d of its earth and
fix’d fait, which the fire farces up to the furface
of the water, where they incorporate like fix’d
fait and oyl boiled up together in the making of
foap.

I likewife evaporated one hundred pound weight
of the water of 1 omelet , which yielded me two
drachms and a half of a fait as red as blood,
which was fo fat and oily that it was impoffible to
dry it. It made an explofion with falt-petre, with
the fame force and in the fame manner as if it
had been common fulphur, it fermented but little
with acids, and after calcination not at all, which
furprifed me much, but having obferv’d that it
fwelPd prodigioufly in calcining and turn’d white,

I concluded that there was allom in its compofition;
it did not blacken the decocfion of galls neither
before nor after calcination, as that of Pouxhon and
Geronfter , but made it muddy and of a pale yel¬
low, without any precipitation. Befides the fait
tji^re was five fcruples of a grofs earthly fediment

I 3 whiefo

[ xi8 3

which fmoak’d much in the crucible, and made
a detonation with falt-petre, and alter being
thoroughly calcin’d, blacken’d the decoftion of

§Out of the fame quantity of the water of Saw
veniere I extracted only a drachm of fait of a
lixivious frtiell and taft§, it fermented pretty well
with fpirit of vitriol both before and alter calci¬
nation, and was neither lo fat nor red as the
other, and eafily dryed. It made a little detona¬
tion with falt-petre, which was a proof of there
being common fulphur in it, and it tingd the
deco di on of galls to a light grey, without pre¬
cipitating.

There was but one drachm of fediment, nice
in all refpefts to that of T ’omelet , except that it
did not fmoak fo much upon the fire, and after
be ms; well wafh’d turn’d the deception of galls
blank, which is contrary to the other two foun¬
tains of Pouxhon and Geronfter , whofe fulphureous
Pediment being calcin’d, made the aecodion ot
galls muddy, and of a whitilh colour without the
leaft degree of black, their falts having only this
quality. Therefore we ought not to be furpnfed
that the fait which has no mars fhould whiten the
decoflion of galls, and that the fediment that con¬
tains fome particles ol it, after being calcin’d and
wafh’d fhould turn it to a black colour, and on
the contrary that the fait of Pouxhon and Geronfter
which contain mars fhould make the decochon of
galls black, and that the fulphureous fediment
which has none fhould make it white.

Having done with the Evaporation , I proceeded
next to diftillation , in order to endeavour to difeover
the nature of thofe fpirits which are look’d upon,
as the foul of the waters, and to which is attribu¬
ted the force of their boiling by a fimple warmth,

to

[ ll9 ]

to intoxicate thofe who drink any large quantity
of them, to burft the bottles that are cork’d im¬
mediately after being fill’d, and to fly with irn-
petuofity out of a bottle that has been fhook and
the cork taken fuddenly out. The more effettual*
ly to execute this delign, I order’d to be made
fome cucurbites of glafs, large and thick, about
two feet high, and bent to a half circle from the
middle to the top, which I feal’d hermetically , fq
that it had no communication with the air but by
a pipe of the fame fubftance fix’d within four in¬
ches of it’s bafis, and elevated three inches from
the out fide ; it was through this pipe that I put
fome of the water of Ponxhon into one of thefe
cucurbites which 1 fill’d two inches above it’s in-
fertion, that fo the furface of the great column of
water that took up a part of the gourd being
elevated above the level of this in fertion, the
fpirits that fhould arife would be forced towards
the bending : likewife to prevent the little column
of water in the pipe from lofing its fpirits, I took
care to ftop it with a good cork and bound it over
with feveral folds of bladder. Matters being thus
difpofed, I fet the cucurbitein warm water which
I kept fo till the mineral water within had acquir’d
the fame degree of heat as that without, when it
begun to boil as if it had been upon the fire, but
not long, for the glafs burft with fuch violence that
I its pieces flew four paces diftance. This Pheno¬
menon convinced me of the exiftence and force of
the fpirits , and I was of opinion that to be able to
extraft them one fhould make ufe of a ftill that
would refifc their impetuofity, I therefore got one
made of pewter, different from that of glafs
only by being a great deal larger, and inftead of
the bending for receiving the fpirits I fix’d a large
chapiter with a long pipe (which had not a vent at

I 4 the;

[ 120 ]

the bottom) to ferve for a recipient , the pipe I had
placed four inches from the bafts was the only
paffage through which any thing could be intro¬
duced into the ftill, and the chapiter and gourd
were fo well foder’d that there was not the leaft
vent.

I carried this ftill to Spa the 5th of May 1713,
and the fame day made a trial of it with Dr . Coo
quelet (an old practitioner at Spa) at the well of
Gerohfter , which has the repute of exhaling more
fpirits than any of the others. We dipt the ftill
in the well and made it take in the water through
the pipe within a finger’s breath of the furface
that it might receive a greater quantity of it’s
fpirits, which in the diftillation would be forced
up to the chapiter. The pipe we ftop’d clofe and
cover’d with 5 or 6 bladers, and as its mouth was
contrived with a ringlet round it, the ligature we
made was the better fecured. This being done
we began to heat our ftill with warm water
and augmented it by degrees till we made it
boil.

During the diftillation, which lafted four hours,
there appear’d a Phenomenon which very much em¬
ploy’d our curiofity, and at laft became very fur-
prifing, for between the cork and the folds of blad¬
der there was lodg’d a quantity of [pints that
ftretched the bladders to that degree that we ex-
peCied every moment they would have burft, and
continued fo notwithstanding our cooling the ma¬
chine even to the dipping it in the wTell. Dr. Coc -
quelet was for piercing the bladders, but I per-
fuaded him to forbear till we had taken out what
was rifenup to the pipe of the chapiter, which we
did by boring a hole in its bottom. There came
out about two ounces of liquor which we received
in a viol, immediately after which the fpirits that

were

[ 121 ]

were lodg’d between the cork and the bladders*
not only repaired through the cork but likewife
through the pillar of water contained in the pipe,
and fo up to the top of the chapiter, and laftly
came whizzing out of the little hole we had
bored at the bottom of its pipe, it had neither
tafte nor fmell, and 1 had reafon to believe that
it was air inclofed in thofe corpufcles that are feen
to float irl the water, which being fet in motion
by the heat broke it’s prifons, for we fee that thofe
corpufcles appear torn, and that they come from
the furface of the water where the air had car¬
ried them before it could difengage it felf from
them. The fpirit or diftilled liquor we collected
in the viol was of a difagreeable bitter, and fmell’d
very ftrong of fulphur, and it feem’d to me that
it was the fulphur of the whole 24 pounds of wa¬
ter contain’d in the ftill, becaufe the water which
we took out of the gourd after the diftillation
was altogether infipid, being deprived of what¬
ever fubftances it was before impregnated with.
The next day we diftilled in the fame manner the
water of Fouxhon , which yielded a liquor only a
little tartifh, but it had undoubtedly loft its ftrength
in fretting the pewter of the roof of the chapiter,
for fome weeks after as I was re6tifyingfome fpirit
of wine in the fame cucurbite, it brought away
with it through the pipe of the chapiter, a white
fait, and fweet like fait of faturn, which could
no otherwife be formed but by the volatile acid of
the mineral water, as fait of faturn is formed by
the acid of diftill’d vinegar incorporating it felf
with the lead. The air whizz’d out of the pipe
of the chapiter in the diftillation of the water of
Pouxhon in like manner as it did in that of Gerom
fter, but without the fmell of fulphur.

In

[ 122 ]

In fhort being convinc’d by thefe experiments
that it was air and not combuftible fpirits that
a6ted with fuch violence in the waters, 1 thought
it needlefs to proceed to the diftillation of thofe
of onnelet and Sameviiere , and that it was better
to employ my time in difcovering how this air?
the acid fpirit, the mars, the fulphur, and the
fait which I found, enter’d into their compo-
fition.

There are feveral ways which minerals andmie-
tals may mix with water in the bofom of the
earth, but I know only two that relate to the wa¬
ters of Spa ; the one is that whilft the mine being
foft is wafhed with a running water, that loads it
felf with what it finds the moft diffoluhle; the
other prefuppofes the water already loaded with
an acid, and meeting with a mine hard and folid
drags away as much of it, as it has time to dif-
folve, it is in this la ft manner that moft who reafon
on the waters of Spa believe them to be impreg¬
nated with vitriol of mars, and they pretend to
prove it by the tafte which comes near that of Am¬
ple water in which vitriol of mars has been dif-
folv’d, by the blacknefs it takes from gauls, and
by the effefts it produces in humane bodies. I was
along time prepolfeffed with this notion, but not
having been able by any experiment to difcover
this pretended vitriol , I was oblig’d to take
another courfe; you will perhaps alledge that the
acid which diilolved the mine of iron to compofe
this vitriol of mars is fo fubtil, that it flyes away
in the evaporation that I make to extraft it, and
that quitting thus the metallick matter this vitriol
of mars is deftroyed; if that was the cafe the ah
calous fait which I extra ft having its pores much
larger, is lefs liable to be preferv’d, which is con¬
trary to the experiments I have made, and par-

ticuarly

C 123 ]

tieularly to that upon the rubricks of Sauvemere
\ Tonnelet and Pomhon , that yields only an acid fix’d
fait in a little earth and fulphur. The other opini¬
on that fuppofes the mine foft and diffoluble agrees
| better with my experiments, and may ferve for a
bafis to explain all thofe Phenomena’s I have men¬
tion’d, but firft I think it behoves me to declare
my opinion, how I think this mine of iron is
vegetated in the bofom of the earth.

^ According to the analyfis that I have feveral
times made of this metal, it is a compofition of
earth refemhling clay , of Sulphur tolerably fix’d, and
of a double fait , that is to fay, half acid , and half
alcalous ; as this compofition could not be made
without thefe feveral principles united with, and
penetrating each other in different manners, and
befides, they are all fix’d except the acid in which
the fait is imbibed, I therefore believe it is it that
ought to be look’d upon as the great mobile of the
whole work.

Taking it then for granted that this earth mix’d
with fulphur, and alcalous fix’d fait exifts in
the bofom of the earth, the acid of the air, fubtil
and always in motion, concentering in the fait,
mu ft excite a fermentation, which tho’ it can be
neither quick nor ftrong, being obftruffed by a
great quantity of earth, yet fufficient to fweli and
dilate the mafs, till the whole being interwoven
and united together, the fermentation ceafes,
fithen this mafs thus fwell’d and dilated begins to
come to it fell by expelling the air that was lodged
i in the cavities of its rarefa&ion, and this infenfi-
!bly till its whole integrant particles be fo con¬
dens’d and reunited together that they may be¬
come the proper fubftance or marcaffuy of iron.
But if any water happens to run through this
mafs before it becomes thus condens’d and har-

c 124 f

den’a, it is evident that by diluting and diffolv-
ing it", the water becomes loaded with the diffe¬
rent fubftances of which it is compofed, viz. of
mars already formed, of Julphur and falty which
the acid fpirit of air had begun to put in mo¬
tion, and much more fo as this fubterraneous ve¬
getation forming itfelf fucceffively, it is impoffible
that that part of this mafs, upon which the fpirit
of air had made its firft impreffions, would not
be intirely elaborated before the other could be
fcarcely begun. You will undoubtedly objeft that if
this was fa6t, the water would not ftay till a part
of this mafs was form’d into a metal, but that it
would immediately wafh it as foon as the fpirit of
air had a little rarified it, and fo would only car¬
ry along with it the fait, earth, and fulphur, and
not the formed mars. To which I fhail anfwer,
that the mafs does not become penetrable till after
the air which was inclofed, in freeing itfelf from
its prifons, makes feveral holes or crevices in the
mafs, through which the water infinuates itfelf
into the cavities which it left, where it loads itfelf
with thofe different fubftances, neverthelefs part
of the air remains entangled with fome mars alrea¬
dy formed, not having been able to difengage it
felf otherwife than by carrying away with it the
metallick particles in which it is folded up, as in
fo many veficles that refemble thofe that are made
in a lather of foap and water. The air thus in¬
clofed yields itfelf to the current of the water
which diffolves the marcaffity, and by its light-
nefs holds the metal imperceptibly fufpended, and
whofe fubftance being fo much dilated becomes
tranfparent, but as foon as the air has made its
efcape the parts of thefe veficles become fo con¬
tracted that the tranfparence ceafes, and being
left to their proper weight they are feen to precis

pitate

[ 125 ]

pirate themfelves from the furface of the water

where the air had carried them before it could
difengage itfelf.

. ^ is undoubtedly this air that in burfting thofe
vificles caufes fuch a rumbling noife and bubling
of the water when ’tis newly drawn and expofed
to a fimple warmth, and which is followed with
almoft the total lofs of the vitriolick and poinant
tafte it had at the fpring. This has given occafion
to thole who have examin’d thefe waters to fay
that they contain a volatile vitriol of mars, and
lpirits fo fubtile and penetrating, that the leaft
degree of heat diflipates them, and without its be¬
ing poflible to ftay them, nevertheless all this de¬
pends only upon the deftrudion of the martial
veitcles, thick fet with the points of our airy acid
which in this lhape counterfeits the tafte of vitriol
of mars, but ceafes as foon as the explofion'of the
air tearing thofe veficles, andlhaking them rough¬
ly, lets lofe the acid points fix’d in this thin fub-
ftance, that afterwards float confufedly in the
water, whilft the mars with which they were
combined falls by its proper weight to the bottom
ot the vafe, where it appears like a kind of excre¬
ment. It is then evident, that to drink the wa¬
ters in their full ftrength and goodnefs, it is ab¬
solutely neceflary to come to the fprings, becaufe
their venues ; depend as much upon this admirable
diipolition of which 1 have explain’d the mechan¬
ic11? as of the quantity and quality of their dif¬
ferent elements. This is fufficiently proved by
the example of gun-powder, which owes all its force
not to. the quantity of Julphur and faltpeTre oi
which it is compofed, which feparately are with¬
out ac.ion, but intirely to the proportion of each.
United one with the other.

You

[ I2<5 ]

You will further objeSt that this acid fpirit of
air to which I attribute fo many vertues is but
Imaginary, and that before it be allowed to aft fo
generally, and efficacioufly, I make it plainly ap¬
pear. That is eafy for me, having only to inftance
the example of polifh’d iron that rufts in the air,
that of old lime, which being expofed a long
time in the air, impregnates a volatile acid, and
becomes falt-petre ; in a word, that of the afhes
of wood and burnt earth, which containing .only
an alcalous fix’d fait, cannot ferve to vegetation,
nor form this double fait in the plants they pro¬
duce without the help of this astherial acid. It
Is by this artifice that the inhabitants of Spa (with¬
out knowing the reafonj lay fnares for this father
of vegetation, and oblige him to reft upon the
furface of the earth, without which it would pro¬
duce little or nothing for their nutriment, I fhall
neverthelefs obferve, that notwithftanding all their
labour, they can only get it to yield rye and oats,
and fome fpelt ; and if they eat bread made of
wheat, they muft have it from elfewhere.

There is another thing curious enough in rela¬
tion to this foil, which is, that earth which is
burnt produces only two years, whereas that
which is remanured with lime continues oy or
30, bearing indifferently all forts of grain, which
depends, in my opinion, upon the pores oi the
lime, which being of a fubftance more folid than
the fixed fait of the afhes of wood or turf, are
not fo eafily deftroyed, fo are confequently in a
condition to ferve a longer time for this kind of
magnetifm.

After this digrefifion, I return to the waters, to
endeavour by the fame principles to difcover the
nature of each of them in particular, and where”
in they differ one from another.

It

[ 127 ]

It is certain, that there is not any eflential dif¬
ference in all thofe fprings ; for they have all
their origin from Mars , or the fubftance of which
it is form’d, except that of cFonnelet , that has a
little of the allom, which it receives in f affing thro*
fame alluminous earth. This difference is purely
accidental, they all depending lefs or more upon
the fame elements, or their different elaboration.

The mother earth of Geronfier abounds very
much with the alcalous fait, which is ftroneer
than in any of the others, the fermentation which
refults from its conjunction with the airy acid is
fo violent, that part of its fulphur becomes vo-
latilifed; at the fame time that what remains
hook d in among the fermenting falts, is woven
and elaborated into real Mars , leaving befides
fome metallick fulphur, and a great quantity of
i; double fait, which could not be elaborated with
the earth to become perfeff Mars , before the wa-
| fer came and carried it off. Thus a bottle of this
! water comes as a medicinal potion ready pre¬
par’d from the bofom of the earth, being com-
| pos’d of a great quantity of this airy acid lightly
ftuck to our falts , fulphurs, and to the metallick
i matter, of four grains of Mars divided into a
million of parts, of fix grains of double fait , of
feven grains and a half of metallick fulphur , and
of a fcruple of a fulphur eous J' fir it , which provi-
dence feems to have added as a corre6five to the
j a&ual coldnefs of the water, without mentioning
I the wonderful effe&s it produces upon the caufes
of different maladies.

In the Pouxhon the earth and the fulphur pre¬
dominating over the alcalous fix’d fait although
abounding, the fermentation is not ftr-ong enough
i to fublimate tjne Ipirits, nor thoroughly elaborate
to a metal the fulphur that is in its way, which

renders

f 128 ]

renders its Mars imperfeft, and is the caufe that
there 's not any fpiritualifed fulphur, as m the
Geronfter , but it has as much more of the metal¬
lic fulphur preferved in its water by a good
Quantity of our vegetable fait; this it is that
makes this water fo much better ; though even
hfhould be deprived of its Man by the diffipation
of that little air it hides in its veficles; it would
neverthelefs keep a long time, without its ftrength
and goodnefs buffering any confiderable cuminu-
tion, therefore one may conclude, that being o
rich in minerals, and lefs chargd with aerial
matter, it is the fitteft of all the others to be
tranfported into foreign countries ; but that Geron-
fter having its chief ftrength from per feel Mars and
fpiritualifed fulphur which feparate themfelves fo
eafily from the water, it Ihould be drank at the

^AU what'I have obferved of the different mo¬
dification or elaboration that the fulphur ot the
waters of Geronfter and Pouxhon acquire by fer¬
mentation, proves itfelf clearly, becaufe we ob-
ferve in thofe of ^Tonnslet and Sciuvsiaei that

• \ 1 1 — /o 1 f OO % XT

their wanting the alcalous fix d fait, as we

marked in the analyfis of their rubrick, or elfe
not having over and above what is neceffary to
form a little of the martial matter, the fermenta¬
tion with the airy acid muff ceafe after this little
work, leaving the fulphur without elaboration,
and almoft like to common fulphur, particularly
in the waters of cTonnelet, in whofe mother earth
it is in greater quantity, it ought to fuller a lels
alteration. Thofe two wells are therefore more
cooling than the others, not only becaufe their
fulphur is neither metallick nor volatihied, but
likewife that a great deal of the airy acid not:

having found any alcalous fait to incorporate with ,
D mixdi

[ 129 3

mix’d itfelf with a little earth and fulphur, as we
obferved before ; fo that it is not without reafon
that they are prefcrib’d to cool the Blood, and
diffolve the gravel and ftone in the urinal paf-
fages, preferring, however, Sauv enter e to ( Tonnelet ,
both becaufe of the crudity of its fulphur, and for
its containing allom, whole aftridtion I always
thought pernicious when it was neceffary to di¬
late thofe paffages to give vent to the grofs and
fandy humours.

*

1

I

*

]

|

1

,

|

C H A P. II L

A brief account of the qualities , and virtues of the

waters of Sr a.

E^VERY body that conhders the feveral mi-
j nerals that are contained in the waters ot
Spa, will eafily grant that they are of a warming
and drying Nature, tho’ at the fame time they are
adtually cold and moift, and daily experience
fhews us that they often produce contrary efiedis,
particularly in women afflidted with divers di-
ftempers proceeding either from the fuppreffion or
too great flux of the Menfes , in both which cafes,
the difmal confequences of which are well known,
thefe waters are a moft powerful remedy, yield¬
ing to no other whatfoever, of which many ex^
amples might be given.

They are alfo very effedhial in curing the green
ficknefs , the whites and diforders of the matrix , in
which they not only give relief by drinking them,
but alfo by injection, fomentation and bathing :
they alfo cure, harrennefs proceeding either from
the too great humidity of the matrix, or relaxa-

li tion

[ *3° 1

tion of the parts, and alfo prevent mifearriag es,
of all which we have many inftances.

They give alfo great relief in catarrh, as, either
by drying up or evacuating the phlegmatick and
ferous humours, and many perfons afflidted with
mgr aims , giddinefs and inveterated head-achs have
been much eafed thereby. They are very effedtual
in curing ulcers of th ePenis when they are ufed by
injedlion, and in fimple Gonorrheas either by drink¬
ing, bringing or fomentation, and in venereal Go¬
norrheas, when the poifon is removed, but the
ulcers cannot be dried up, and when the parts for
generation have been weaken’d thereby, they re¬
store and fortify them again.

They alfo remove exceffive heat of the urine, and
quiet the pains of the kidneys and bladder , if they
be not occafioned by fome obftinate obftrudlion,
but if this be the cafe, they may increafe the pains
by prefling the matter that caufes the obftrudlion,
without expelling it altogether, which chiefly j
happens in the gravel.

They relieve very much fuch as are for the \
rnoft part cofttve , and on the contrary they ftop
great loojenefs by diluting and temperating the
too fharp bile. They alfo free the body of grofs, j
vifeous, phlegmatick, cholerick and melancholy
humours, rnoftly by urine and ftool, often by vo¬
miting, and fometimes, but rarely, by fweating.

They renew the hemerroidal flux, when flopped,
and reftrain it when immoderate, and by pro¬
moting the circulation of the blood, corre&ing
and evacuating humours, fometimes reftore blind ;
people to their fight.

Thty deftroy ail forts of worms and inf eels ini
the body, and this is fo well known, that there:
is no oecafion to defeend to particulars, only fhal!.:

tnentioru

C m ]

iffentioh a perfon afflicted with a violent pif-
| ling of blood, with great pains in the kidneys,
hot always alike, but with frequent intervals, who
by drinking the waters was happily deliver’d* they
bringing away upon the 7th day a great Infed
j which gnawed the left kidney, and thereby open-
\ ed the veffels, and occafioned the piffmg fo much
1 blood, and fo violent pains.

They eure rednefs of eyesy as alfo the itchy and
j Other cutaneous diftempers by ufing them either
I internally or externally.

The remove obftruftions in the liver , fpleen and
i miferaick veins , and all inflammations occafioned
I thereby.

Many hydroptcal perfons are relieved thereby in
1 a very furprifing manner, difcharging the waters
4 both by urine and ftool, and the lymphatick veff
ij fels being too much dilated or broken, are again
J confolidated and contracted by the aftringent par*
ri tides in the water.

They are fo comfortable to the ftomachy that by
E] their agreeable aftringency they reftore it to its
(j right tone, when too much relaxed, and fuch per-
)] fons as are incommoded with vomitings belching f
il inccupSy and throwing up their victuals ^ do loon find
j! relief after they begin drinking. They are more
t! effedual than any other remedy for carrying off
3], fand, and freeing from all nephritick pains, and
:<j often carry off fmall ftones ; but fuch as fufpedt
IS that they have great ftones in their kidneys,
fq ought to ufe them with great caution, and if they
| are refolved to drink them, they ought not to ufe
w any exetcife, as in other cafes, but drink them
4 a bed, left the ftones be loofened and carried into
|| the uretersy as has fometime happened ; they are
I alfo very effectual for curing ulcers in the kidneys

& 2 and

C x32 ]

and bladder, incontinency of urine and diabetes,
if ufed with due precaution.

In fcorbutick cafes they are found to be an ex¬
cellent fpecifick. The inhabitants of Spa are free
from head-aches, catarrhs, heart-aches, ftone, and
obftruclion of the fpleen and liver, and it is rare
to fee any of them incommoded with jaundice,
gout, fcab or epilepfy. By all which it appears
that thefe waters have a lingular virtue not only
for the prefer vation of health, but alfo exceed
moft fhop-remedies for the cure of difeafes, and
that with expedition and fafety, and great gentle-
nefs, and may be ufed by all perfons, old and
young, in moft conftitutions, and all feafons of
the year.

Notwithftanding of what has been faid of
their Angular virtue and efficacy, yet no perfon
ought to prefume to order them in all kind of
diftempers as an univerfal remedy ; for in the
opinion of very wi fe phyficians they are not good
either in Epidemical or Endemial diftempers, as the
Plague , Poifoh, Pox, Cancer, Apoplexies, Epi¬
lepfy, true Palfies, Afthma’s, &c. in which, thoJ
fometimes they may accidentally give relief,
yet they are by no means a fpecifick for
them.

It would be proper now to give an account of
the method and rules that are judged necelfary to
be obferved in the ufe of the waters; but as in
the precedingTreatife on the waters of Pyrmont the
learned author has given a very full account of
that method which after many years experience
he has found to be the beft and moft fuccefsful,
and has laid down fuch rules as are very proper
to be obferved in the ufe of all mineral waters,
and as they are very applicable to the Spa waters,

C *33 ]

and coincide for the moft part with what the
moft experienced phyficians have faid upon that
head, I did not think it proper to trouble the rea¬
der with ufelefs repetitions, but judge it fiifficient
to refer the patient to the preceding Treatife,
where he will find many things highly reafonable,
and worthy to be taken paticular notice of, as
i contributing very much to his fuccefsful ufe of
i the waters.

FINIS,

ERRATA:

2

5

c

u

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BOOKS Printed for and Sold ly A. Millar,
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i. I^Olleftions relating to the Hiftory of Mary Queen of
Scotland. Containing a great Number of Original
Papers, never before printed : Alfo a few lcarce Pieces re¬
printed, taken from the beft Copies, by the learned and judi-
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Antiquary of Scotland. With an Explanatory Index of the
Obfolete Words; and Prefaces filewing the Importance of
thefe Collections. In 4 Vols. bn a fine Paper, and a moft
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2. Georgii Buchanani Scoti, Poetarum fui feculi facile Prin-
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Studio recognita, & Caftigata. Nunc primum in Unum col-
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Collected from Original Charters, Chartularies, Authentick
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cf the State of the Jews before and after the Babylonifii
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